Trial of Tariq Ramadan: eighteen years of criminal imprisonment required in Paris

The trial of Swiss Islamologist Tariq Ramadan, tried for rape by the Paris departmental criminal court, reached a decisive stage this Tuesday, March 24. The attorney general requested a sentence of eighteen years of criminal imprisonment against him, as well as an arrest warrant and a definitive ban from French territory after the execution of the sentence. The verdict is expected on Wednesday.

Already convicted in Switzerland for the rape of a woman, the intellectual is being prosecuted in France for acts allegedly committed between 2009 and 2016 against three women, accusations which he contests. Among these facts are notably an aggravated rape in Lyon in 2009, alleged acts in 2012 in Paris against Henda Ayari, as well as a third case dating back to 2016.

A trial held in the absence of the accused

Opened on March 2, the trial took place in the absence of the accused, hospitalized according to his lawyers in Geneva due to an attack of multiple sclerosis. However, a medical assessment ordered by the court concluded that his state of health was stable, considering that he was able to appear.

The president of the court, Corinne Goetzmann, then refused to postpone the trial. She decided that the case would be judged in absentia and behind closed doors, as requested by one of the civil parties. An arrest warrant for immediate execution was also issued against the accused. In reaction, his lawyers left the hearing, denouncing a procedure which they described as a “parody of justice”.

Radically opposing positions

On the defense side, Me Ouadie Elhamamouchi denounced “unfair” and “totally disconnected” requisitions, evoking “relentlessness” against his client, especially since he was unable to be present to defend himself.

Conversely, for Me David-Olivier Kaminski, lawyer for one of the civil parties, the public prosecutor’s requisitions are based on a thorough demonstration of the guilt of the accused.

An already charged legal context

In parallel with this Paris trial, Tariq Ramadan was sentenced on appeal in Switzerland, in September 2024, to three years in prison, including one year for a rape committed in 2008 in Geneva, after being acquitted at first instance. He announced that he wanted to refer the case to the European Court of Human Rights and also filed a request for review of this trial.

In this sensitive matter, marked by strong tensions between the parties, the decision expected on Wednesday in Paris could constitute a major judicial turning point.