Rape trial of Islamic scholar Tariq Ramadan begins in Geneva
The Swiss scholar Tariq Ramadan appeared before a packed correctional court in Geneva on Monday morning charged with “rape and sexual coercion” for acts that allegedly took place in 2008.
Security was tightened for the start of the trial, which has attracted members of the public. Ramadan made no comment to reporters as he walked in with his lawyers.
The plaintiff, a Swiss woman known as “Brigitte” in the media, accuses Ramadan of having subjected her to brutal sexual acts accompanied by physical blows and insults in a room at Hotel Mon Repos in Geneva in October 2008. Ramadan denies the allegations, although he acknowledged during the investigation that he had met her.
+ Investigation opens in Geneva after Tariq Ramadan accused of rape
Ramadan, who taught at the University of Oxford until allegations of rape were made against him in 2017, could face between two to ten years in prison if found guilty.
The Swiss national, 60, is also facing charges in France, where four women have accused him of rape committed between 2009 and 2016. Ramadan spent nine months in pre-trial detention in 2018, the same year “Brigitte” made the allegations against him. His legal troubles in France, for which he remains free under judicial supervision, delayed proceedings in Geneva.
Ramadan earned his doctorate from the University of Geneva and taught in the city for many years. He is the grandson of the founder of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan el-Banna. His father, Said, fled to Switzerland in 1954.
The trial is expected to last two to three days, with a verdict to be announced on May 24.
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