Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah has pardoned the victim of a gang-rape, whose sentencing to 200 lashes caused an international outcry, a Saudi newspaper said yesterday.

The daily al-Jazirah cited the Justice Minister Abdullah bin Mohammad al-Sheikh as saying the king had the right to issue pardons if it was in the "public interest".

The minister did not confirm if the pardon, reported from unnamed sources, was correct but the newspaper is close to the religious establishment who control the Justice Ministry.