A court in Paris has sentenced prominent Islam scholar Tariq Ramadan to 18 years in jail for raping three women, two years after he was given a jail term for a separate rape offence in Switzerland.
The French rape case unfolded in 2017, when two of the three women came forward during the Me Too campaign against sexual abuse and harassment.
Ramadan, a 63-year-old former professor of Islamic studies at St Antony's College in Oxford, did not attend the trial in Paris, although he has always denied the charges.
His lawyers said he was being treated in the Swiss city of Geneva for multiple sclerosis and condemned the trial as a farce.
Judge Corinne Goetzmann noted that a warrant had been issued for Ramadan's arrest, but highlighted Switzerland’s lack of an extradition treaty with France.
In addition to his prison sentence, Ramadan faces a permanent ban from French territory.
The court ruled that the 18-year jail term was justified by the extreme seriousness of the acts. Judge Goetzmann stated, Consenting to sex does not imply consenting to any sexual act whatsoever.
Leaving court, one of the three women involved in the case, Henda Ayari, expressed relief, stating the judges had believed her, and sharing the emotional toll of nine years of suffering.
Ayari, among others, accused Ramadan of sexual violence, detailing an incident in 2012 during a television interview.
Ramadan has called for a new trial, arguing that he was unable to attend the proceedings due to health issues, asserting that the accusations against him are rooted in a broader political agenda.
As the fallout from this case continues, it reflects broader societal issues regarding consent, power dynamics, and the consequences faced by those accused of sexual misconduct.
