Prominent Islamic scholar Tariq Ramadan convicted after Swiss court finds him guilty of rape
File photo of Tariq Ramadan.
An appeals court in Switzerland said on Tuesday (Sep10) that it found prominent Islamic scholar Tariq Ramadan guilty of rape and sexual coercion in a case 15 years ago, overturningan earlier lower court acquittal.
The appeals court said that it "annuls the judgement of 24 May 2023" and sentenced Ramadanto three years in prison, two of them suspended. The court's verdict was first reported by public broadcaster RTS.
Ramadan, 62,was a professorof contemporary Islamic studies atOxford Universityand held visiting roles at universities in Qatar and Morocco.
The 2008 rape case
A report by the news agency AFP said that Ramadan's accuser, a Muslimconvert identified only as "Brigitte", had testified before the court that he subjected her to rape and other violent sex acts in a Geneva hotel room on October 28, 2008.
The lawyer representingBrigitte said she was repeatedly raped and subjected to "torture and barbarism."
The woman was in her forties at the time of the alleged rape. She filed a complaint in September 2018,telling the court she felt emboldened to come forward following similar complaints filed against the 62-year-old Islamic scholar in France.
Ramadan maintains his innocence
Ramadan has maintained his innocence in the case. Ramadan said thatBrigitteinvited herself up to his room. He let her kiss him, he said, before quickly ending the encounter.
The 62-year-old pointed out that he was the victim of a trap.
The allegations of rape in France
In France, Ramadan is suspected of raping three women between 2009 and 2016.He was forced to take a leave of absence from Oxford Universityin 2017 when rape allegations surfaced in France.
One of the victimsis French activist Henda Ayari. In October 2017, Ayari filed a complaint with the prosecutor's office of Rouen, stating that the Islamic scholar raped her at a hotel in Paris.
(With inputs from agencies)