Islamic scholar Tariq Ramadan acquitted in Swiss rape trial

Renowned Islamic scholar and former professor at Oxford University, Tariq Ramadan, was acquitted of rape and sexual coercion charges by a Geneva Criminal Court on Wednesday (May 24). He was accused by a Swiss woman who has asked to be identified by an alias ‘Brigitte.’

About the case

The 60-year-old was accused of rape by a Swiss woman who alleged that the incident took place in a Geneva hotel in 2008 where she was subjected tobrutal sexual assault, beatings and insults.

The alleged abuse took place on the night of October 28, 2008, when Brigitte, a fan of Ramadan, was invited by him for coffee after a conference. Ramadan, who is also a Swiss citizen, would have faced up to three years in prison if he was convicted.

What happened in the court?

In court, Brigitte also requested that a screen be put up so that she would not have to look at the man she claimed raped her. She also went on to detail the alleged attack in detail and how the two had exchanged messages before their meetingat the conference and book signing.

The Swiss woman also spoke about how she feared that she was going to die. Brigitte said she filed the lawsuit nearly a decade later after multiple allegations emerged against Ramadan in France. While he had also previously denied all the charges, the 60-year-old did admit that he had met the woman before and invited him to his hotel room.

The 60-year-old has since rejected these claims and said he is the victim of a “trap” and called the accusations against him politically motivated. Meanwhile, his French and Swiss lawyers questioned the Swiss woman about the inconsistencies around the dates of the alleged attack.

The prosecution argued that she could not have made up the alleged attack as Brigitte gave details to the judges which she would not have been able to do otherwise.Ramadan’s lawyer also called the charges against his client “crazy”.

During his final statements in court last week, Ramadan asked not to be tried on his “real or supposed ideology” and urged the judges not to be “influenced by the media and political noise”.

The verdict was announced following a week’s deliberation by the three judges in the court in Geneva.Brigitte'slawyers have said that they will appeal the verdict.

More cases to follow?

This case could just be one of many against Ramadan as French prosecutors are still assessing if the charges brought against the Islamic scholar should be taken to court.

He was first accused of rape in 2017by a French woman and after the case went public, morewomen came forward. As of 2020, Ramadan is facing at least five charges of rape, one of which was in Switzerland, while others are in France.

As per media reports, investigators have found hundreds of text messages he had sent to the women, some of which detail violent sexual fantasies. He also reportedly faces criminal rape complaints made by women in the United States. Notably, he had also spent nine months in detention in France before he was releasedin 2018.

(With inputs from agencies)

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