Marte Deborah Dalelv was pardoned by authorities on Monday, Norway's foreign minister reported, ending a four-month ordeal.

"I warmly welcome that Marte Dalelv was pardoned by the ruler of Dubai today. The fight for human rights for all continues," Espen Barth Eide wrote on his Twitter account.

Dalelv herself told reporters in Dubai she was "very, very happy" to have been pardoned, adding that her passport had been returned and she would leave the Gulf state "as soon as possible."

"I am free, finally," she said.

Dalelv was convicted earlier this month after reporting she had been raped by a colleague while in Dubai. The court in the Gulf Arab emirate found her guilty of having sex outside marriage, drinking alcohol and providing false testimony earlier this month.

She had been staying at a Norwegian Christian center in Dubai pending an appeal hearing.

The precise reason for her pardon remains unclear, although authorities in Dubai had come under increasing pressure from the Norwegian government and human rights groups to approve her release.

Dalelv said last week she had decided to speak publicly about the case in order to draw attention to the risks involved in rape cases in the Gulf state. In the United Arab Emirates, Islamic law requires either a confession or four adult male witnesses to testify in order to secure a conviction.

Her alleged attacker, who was sentenced to 13 months in prison for alcohol consumption and sex outside marriage, was also reportedly pardoned Monday.

ccp/msh (AFP, Reuters, AP)