Switzerland: attacker sentenced to reduced sentence because rape “only lasted 11 minutes”

Hundreds of protesters flocked to Swiss court after judge reduced jail sentence to a rapist on the grounds that the rape lasted 11 minutes, making it “relatively short”.

The attack was carried out by two Portuguese citizens, aged 17 and 32, against a 33-year-old woman outside the entrance to her apartment in the city of Basel in February of last year.

The young man has yet to be sentenced in juvenile court, but the older assailant, named only Joao P., His prison sentence was reduced from 51 months to 36 months on appeal, meaning he will be released in a few days for the time already served.

Factors that contributed to this decision included the alleged fact that the woman “sent signals” and had “played with fire” before the assault, arguments which outraged the public.

About 500 demonstrators, mostly women, stood in court on Sunday to observe a symbolic 11-minute silence in solidarity with the victim, waving banners that read: “11 minutes is too much!”

Others had posters that referenced the phrase, saying that “There is no brief rape” and that it was justice that was “Send the wrong signals.”

The rape took place after the woman met the two men at a nightclub in town.

According to Judge Liselotte Henz, the older man who committed the rape was only responsible for a “moderate offense”. He said the rape was “relatively brief” and the victim suffered no permanent physical injuries.

The victim’s lawyer was surprised by the appeal court’s verdict, saying she was disappointed by the incomprehensibility of the decision. “A ‘no’ is a ‘no’ and must be accepted regardless of the victim’s lifestyle. I will first wait for the written verdict and then I will continue to appeal ”, he claimed.

The authors are likely to be expelled from Switzerland at the end of their sentence. The decision caused a stir in the country, with politicians on the left and right rejecting the court’s statements.

“A four-year sentence was already light, but now to suggest that the woman was an accomplice because of her behavior with someone outside of the crime is unbearable. What a sign for all victims of sexual violence», Declared Marcel Columb, of the Social Democrats of Basel.

“What kind of society do we live in?Jeromie Repond from the right was indignant.

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