the Court of Cassation confirms his referral to trial for rape, including one committed in Lyon

In these appeals, Tariq Ramadan contested the accusations. Having been rejected, he will therefore be tried for aggravated rape and rape of three women, one of which dates back to 2009 in Lyon. Indeed, one of the complainants accuses the Swiss Islamologist of having abused her during a meeting in a Lyon hotel, while she was suffering from health problems. The SMS exchanges between the two parties, unearthed during the investigation, corroborate the facts, although the accused’s defense maintains that it was a consensual relationship.

As a reminder, on June 27, the Paris Court of Appeal ordered a trial for an aggravated rape of a woman and two rapes of two others, after the accusations of four complainants had been examined.

Tariq Ramadan challenged this decision by filing a cassation appeal, while one of the complainants requested the addition of her accusations, which had been rejected. During the hearing, the rapporteur and the advocate general recommended not to accept these appeals, judging that they aimed to challenge the assessment of the facts already established by the investigating chamber. In July 2023, two investigating judges therefore ordered the referral to trial after six years of investigation.

Last August, Tariq Ramadan was also sentenced on appeal to three years in prison, including one year, for rape and sexual coercion, by the Geneva courts.