- Islam scholar Tariq Ramadan has been acquitted by the Geneva Criminal Court.
- He was accused of rape and sexual assault.
- The verdict stated, among other things, that there was no physical evidence of the crime.
Prosecutors had accused 60-year-old Ramadan of abusing a woman in a Geneva hotel room one night in October 2008. The 57-year-old plaintiff, who converted to Islam when she was young, stated that she had been beaten, insulted and sexually abused by the Islamic scholar for hours.
«No biological traces»
The accused protested his innocence. Although he admitted to having met the woman, he denied any sexual relationship. Prosecutors had asked for three years in prison, including 18 months without parole. The judgment can still be appealed.
The detailed account of the woman was not supported by any biological traces, injuries or video recordings of the hotel, the court found. The court also noted that the plaintiff consulted two psychiatrists shortly after the alleged incident. However, their records would not prove the main points of the indictment, it said. In addition, after the night in question, the woman sent messages to Ramadan which gave the impression of being love messages and which did not relate to the allegations.
Allegations also from France
Ramadan may also face trial in France. In the summer of 2022, the Paris public prosecutor had requested a trial against him on suspicion of the rape of four women. Ramadan is a grandson of Hassan al-Banna, a co-founder of the Muslim Brotherhood. He advocates a European-Muslim identity.