Muslim preacher Tariq Ramadan has appealed an indictment order initially intended to send him to trial for four rapes in France.
The Paris Court of Appeal decided to send Ramadan back to trial on three of the four rape charges, dismissing the case of a former “mistress”. The complainants concerned are Henda Ayari, “Christelle”, and another woman identified by investigators but who did not wish to file a complaint. The fourth charge, brought by Mounia R., was dismissed, which caused incomprehension among her lawyers.
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This decision by the Court of Appeal is a relief for the complainants, contrary to the Attorney General’s indictment in March which only recommended prosecution for one of the four alleged rapes. The investigating judges initially decided in July 2022 to refer Ramadan to a departmental criminal court.
Henda Ayari’s lawyer, Me David Olivier Kaminski, described this decision as a “victory for justice”. On the other hand, for Tariq Ramadan and his lawyers, this decision is disappointing. Me Pascal Garbarini announced that they will continue to defend Ramadan’s innocence, criticizing the decision and planning to challenge it before the Court of Cassation.
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The most substantiated case concerns “Christelle”, who accuses Ramadan of aggravated rape due to her physical vulnerability at the time of the alleged events in 2009. Medical and photographic evidence corroborating her accusations was presented to investigators.
Tariq Ramadan was also convicted for revealing the identity of this complainant on social networks and in his book. Furthermore, he is awaiting the verdict of the Geneva Court of Appeal in another trial for rape in Switzerland, where he was acquitted at first instance in May 2023. He remains presumed innocent of the charges in France.
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