( CNN ) -- Saudi King Abdullah has pardoned a rape victim who had been sentenced to 200 lashes and six months in prison in a case that sparked international attention , a Saudi newspaper has reported . The case cast light on the treatment of women under Saudi Arabia 's strict Islamic law . Al-Jazirah newspaper quoted a Saudi Justice Ministry official saying King Abdullah issued a royal pardon Monday -- the same day that the Hajj , the annual Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca , begins in Saudi Arabia . The victim 's husband told CNN he has not received an official letter regarding her pardon , but considers it to be legitimate since it was announced in an official Saudi newspaper . He thanked King Abdullah for the pardon , saying : `` This fatherly care and noble gesture will help ( in ) lifting the emotional and psychological stress and suffering that our family has been enduring . '' `` This is not something new because we know that the King was always generous in dealing with his people and the entire world , '' the husband said . `` This week , we have two holidays to celebrate ; the Eid and this great news of the pardon . '' Saudi sources told CNN that the king 's pardon was not related to the beginning of the Hajj nor the Eid al-Adha festival that follows , which is normally when the Saudi monarch issues amnesty for prisoners . Watch how Arab media is reporting the story . » . Saudi Arabia 's Justice Minister Abdullah Bin Mohammad al-Sheikh told al-Jazirah newspaper that the king felt the pardon would be in the best interests of the Saudi people , and the decision did not reflect any lack of confidence in the Saudi justice system . The White House welcomed King Abdullah 's decision , but National Security Council spokesman Gordon Johndroe stressed that `` this is obviously a matter for the Saudi Arabians and King Abdullah . '' A Saudi court ruled the 19-year-old had an `` illegitimate relationship '' with a man who was not her husband , and that she was raped after she and the man were discovered in a `` compromising situation , her clothes on the ground . '' The rape took place in Qatif in March 2006 when the woman was engaged to be married . The case has drawn international attention , provoked outrage in the West and cast light on the treatment of women under strict Islamic law in Saudi Arabia . The woman was meeting with a man -- described by the woman 's attorney as a former friend from whom she was retrieving a photograph -- when they both were abducted last March . Seven men , convicted of abducting the pair and raping her , were sentenced from two to nine years in prison . Abdul Rahman al-Lahim , the lawyer who represented the woman , faced a disciplinary hearing for `` insulting the Supreme Judicial Council and disobeying the rules and regulations '' of the judiciary . The hearing has been postponed . The woman 's husband has been outspoken in his support for his wife . He called a Lebanese TV show to defend her , when a former Saudi judge claimed on the program that she `` spoil ( ed ) their marital bed '' by meeting an unrelated male `` in secret '' and admitted her guilt . Al-Lahim has said he hopes the case changes the Saudi justice system . `` We want to highlight the rape crimes in Saudi Arabia and the way they are handled and sentenced in court , '' he added . `` This is a new era for all of us . '' He said that the rape case had elicited a fierce response , including calls for his beheading . U.S. President George W. Bush said last week that King Abdullah `` knows our position loud and clear '' on the case . Under Saudi law , women are subject to numerous restrictions , including a strict dress code , a prohibition against driving and a requirement that they get a man 's permission to travel or have surgery . E-mail to a friend . CNN 's Mohammed Jamjoom , Saad Abedine and Isha Sesay contributed to this report .
NEW : Sources say incident unrelated to Hajj nor subsequent Eid al - Adha . Report : Prime Minister says he wants pardon in best interests of Saudi people . Report : King Abdullah pardons rape victim up to 200 lashes . A Saudi court had ruled the 19-year - old had an ` ` illegitimate relationship ''