Paris court convicts Tariq Ramadan in absentia, sentences him to 18 years for rapes

A Paris court has convicted Swiss Islamic scholar Tariq Ramadan in absentia to 18 years in prison for the rape of three women between 2009 and 2016.

“France: Tariq Ramadan Convicted in Absentia to 18 Years in Prison for Rapes - The Swiss Islamic scholar was tried in absentia and in private by the Paris departmental criminal court, while he is currently hospitalized Istanbul AA / Istanbul / Mariem Njeh The Paris departmental criminal court convicted on Wednesday, March 25, the Swiss Islamic scholar Tariq Ramadan of 18 years in prison for rapes committed against three women, which he disputes”

Anadolu Ajansı

The Paris criminal court found the 63-year-old former Oxford University professor guilty of all three rape charges, including rape of a vulnerable person.

Anadolu Ajansı

Presiding Judge Corinne Goetzmann declared that 'consent to sexuality is not consent to any sexual act.'

The court ordered eight years of judicial supervision, prohibiting Ramadan from contacting the victims and disseminating any book, audiovisual work, or public appearance related to the offense.

A permanent ban from French territory once his sentence is served was also imposed.

An arrest warrant was issued against him on March 6, 2026, though enforcement remains uncertain due to Switzerland's policy against extraditing its citizens to other countries.

The conviction relates to three specific rape cases spanning several years, with victims including Christelle (pseudonym), raped in Lyon in October 2009 in an aggravated rape involving violence against a vulnerable person.

Henda Ayari, a former Salafist who became a secular activist, filed the complaint in October 2017 alleging rape in Paris in 2012.

BFMTV

A third woman reported rape in 2016.

Christelle testified that Ramadan raped her after taking her to his hotel room, describing being struck with a crutch, knocked down, and grabbed by the hair with blows, sexual violence, and vile words.

The two other women accused Ramadan of imposing violent and degrading sexual acts, including forced penetrations.

Ramadan acknowledged only vigorous, allegedly consensual relations during the investigation.

Henda Ayari emerged as a key figure in the case, having triggered the proceedings by filing her complaint in October 2017 after leaving her Salafist past and becoming a secular activist.

The legal proceedings were marked by significant controversy as Ramadan did not appear at his trial, which began March 2 and lasted three weeks.

“A Paris court has sentenced in absentia Swiss Islamic scholar Tariq Ramadan to 18 years in prison for the rape of three women”

DW

His defense team cited a 'flare-up' of multiple sclerosis requiring hospitalization in Geneva, Switzerland, but this claim was rejected by a court-ordered medical assessment.

The medical assessment found 'stability of the multiple sclerosis' without signs of a recent flare-up.

The court president Corinne Goetzmann therefore decided to try Ramadan in absentia and in camera, as requested by one of the civil parties.

She issued an arrest warrant 'for immediate execution and dissemination.'

In response, Ramadan's lawyers—including Marie Burguburu, Sarah May Vogelhut, Nabila Asmane, and Ouadie Elhamamouchi—condemned what they called a 'parody of justice' and walked out of the courtroom.

Elhamamouchi later denounced to Anadolu what he called 'unjust and completely disconnected requests,' claiming the absence of contradiction created an unfair process.

He described the prosecutor as having insulted Ramadan by calling him a coward when he sought a postponement due to hospitalization.

This Paris conviction represents the latest fall from grace for Tariq Ramadan, who had already faced legal troubles in Switzerland.

In Switzerland, he was convicted in 2024 of rape and sexual assault in a separate case.

France Bleu

The Swiss supreme court subsequently rejected his appeal and upheld a sentence of three years in prison, with two years suspended.

Despite this prior conviction, Ramadan continued to deny the allegations brought against him in the French court, though he later admitted to having had contact with the women.

The 63-year-old scholar's absence from the trial was particularly notable as it concluded three weeks of proceedings that his lawyers' opponents described as marked by 'dilatory tactics.'

One victim's lawyer, David-Olivier Kaminski, immediately saw the hospitalization claim as a desire to 'evade the debate.'

The public prosecutor added that 'Tariq Ramadan uses every means to avoid appearing and to avoid being judged.'

Criminal-law expert Sarah Mauger-Poliak lamented that this was 'yet another way to show his contempt for the authorities and the victims,' particularly significant given that some plaintiffs had awaited this trial for more than 15 years.

The international coverage of the case reveals varying perspectives on the legal proceedings and their significance.

“The Swiss islamologist was found guilty of rapes against three women”

L'essentiel

Western mainstream media outlets like DW and BFMTV focused on the factual aspects of the conviction and sentencing, emphasizing the legal details and the multiple allegations against Ramadan.

L'essentiel

Local French sources such as Le Figaro and France Bleu provided extensive coverage of the courtroom drama, highlighting the defense's walkout and the controversy surrounding Ramadan's absence.

West Asian media represented by Anadolu Ajansı offered a more critical perspective on the legal process, with Ramadan's lawyer Ouadie Elhamamouchi describing the proceedings as 'unjust and completely disconnected requests' and claiming his client was subjected to 'relentlessness.'

Asian media through South China Morning Post positioned the case as part of a broader pattern of 'fall from grace' for the former Oxford professor, noting his 'string of rape allegations in Switzerland and France.'

The coverage also reflects broader societal debates about consent, power dynamics, and the handling of high-profile sexual assault cases across different cultural and legal contexts.