Court overturns two abortion clinic convictions

DUBAI // The Dubai Appeal Court yesterday overturned the convictions and three-year prison sentences of two Chinese nationals for running an illegal abortion clinic. The court upheld the conviction of a female Chinese medic, identified only as ZK, 38, who was sentenced to three years in prison and ordered deported after serving her sentence. Four people were charged with running the clinic in Deira.

All pleaded not guilty in October. The trial court convicted three of the defendants last November - the female medic and a Chinese man, WT, 51, and another Chinese woman, SW, 51. The defendants were charged with performing an abortion on SA, who was charged Dh 2,300 for the procedure. A man, identified only as M A, who was visiting the clinic to buy pills used to abort pregnancies called police after he heard screams.

When police arrived, they found SA in physical distress. They recovered a foetus that tests showed belonged to her. hbathish@thenational.ae