“Her husband’s family in Sydney has welcomed her being charged and wants the mother of two children, aged six and nine, to be jailed. Ms Issa, 29, travelled to Tripoli on June 20 to see her new boyfriend after recently separating from her husband. She was about to return home on the weekend when she claimed she was contacted by Lebanese police informing her she had been charged with adultery.” But Lebanon’s Muslims are moderate, so she only faces a six-month jail sentence, rather than facing being stoned to death.
“Sydney mum Mahassen Issa charged with adultery while on holiday in Lebanon,” by Ashlee Mullany, The Daily Telegraph, July 24, 2014 (thanks to Kenneth):
A DESPERATE Sydney mother is pleading for help from the Australian government after she was charged with adultery during a short holiday in Lebanon.
Mahassen Issa’s lawyer said last night she would face court in Tripoli, Lebanon, today and could face six months jail if convicted.
Her husband’s family in Sydney has welcomed her being charged and wants the mother of two children, aged six and nine, to be jailed.
Ms Issa, 29, travelled to Tripoli on June 20 to see her new boyfriend after recently separating from her husband.
She was about to return home on the weekend when she claimed she was contacted by Lebanese police informing her she had been charged with adultery.
“We got a phone call stating my partner and I have both been charged and that we need to go and see the police,” Ms Issa said.
“My passport has been alerted to all the authorities and that I’m not allowed to exit the country. “I will be facing the charges tomorrow at court.” A distraught Ms Issa yesterday said she believed the allegations were made to prevent her from returning to Sydney, where she was born, to live with her children.
“The thought of not seeing my children again and my whole family disowning me, it’s too much,” she said.
A relative of Ms Issa’s husband said he raised the court order for adultery charges in Lebanon because the couple were still married in Australia: “His family and her family are very happy that she’s getting charged and she’s getting what she deserves.
“We raised the court case and he’s going ahead with it.”
Ms Issa claimed the pair separated in September but her former husband said they separated in April.
Their children are currently being cared for by their father in Western Sydney.
Ms Issa was last night at the Australian Consulate General in Beirut, saying she feared for her life and that of her boyfriend.
“I’m in a huge panic and I have no one to turn to. My family has disowned me. We have been receiving threats, my partner has received threats,’’ she said.
“The holiday that I thought would just be some time out has turned into a nightmare. I have never seen these jails and hope to never see them, because we have done nothing wrong.
“Hopefully the Australian government can help me get back into Australia safely.”
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade confirmed support was being provided to Ms Issa in Lebanon but would not provide further details.