Father to contest sentence in daughter's conversion to Christianity

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia, May 13 (UPI) -- The father of a woman who fled Saudi Arabia after accepting Christianity says the sentence given the man responsible for the conversion isn't "appropriate."

That man, the Lebanese director of a company where the woman worked, has been sentenced to six years in prison and 300 lashes, Gulf News reported Monday.

The father of the woman said he would dispute the ruling, saying it was "not appropriate for what he has done to us."

"He has deprived us of our daughter and he must assume his responsibilities," said the father, who was not named. "We will ask the court to keep him behind bars until our daughter comes home."

The woman, known in Saudi media as "The Khobar Woman" in reference to the city where she worked, had been sentenced to six years in jail and 300 lashes. She has reportedly fled to Sweden.

The father said he hoped the Saudi Embassy in Sweden would work to return his daughter to Saudi Arabia. He said he would guarantee she would not be harmed.

A Saudi national who reportedly forged a travel document so the woman could flee the country was sentenced Saturday to two years in jail and 200 lashes.