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 indicated that he was receiving treatment for multiple sclerosis in Geneva and condemned the trial as a farce.
Judge Corinne Goetzmann confirmed that a warrant had been issued for Ramadan's arrest, but noted that Switzerland does not have an extradition treaty with France.
In addition to his prison sentence, Ramadan may face a permanent ban from French territory. The court underscored the gravity of the acts committed, stating, Consenting to sex does not imply consenting to any sexual act whatsoever.
After the verdict, Henda Ayari, one of the victims, expressed relief that judges believed her testimony, revealing that she has faced nine years of suffering since coming forward.
Ayari recounted her experience during the trial, where she stated that the scholar had literally pounced on me like a wild animal in a hotel room in 2012. The second victim accused him of raping her in Lyon in 2009, while the Swiss case involved a complaint from 2008.
In response to the court's decision, Ramadan has called for a new trial, insisting on his right to defend himself in person and alleging that the accusations are politically motivated, aimed at silencing a prominent Muslim intellectual.
Given the legal context, it remains uncertain how a retrial can occur with him subject to an arrest warrant.
