Swiss Scholar Tariq Ramadan Sentenced to 18 Years in Prison for Rapes in France

A Paris criminal court sentenced Swiss Islamic scholar Tariq Ramadan to 18 years of criminal imprisonment on Wednesday for the rape of three women, delivering its verdict in a trial conducted entirely in absentia and behind closed doors. The Paris criminal court, presided over by Judge Corinne Goetzmann, found Ramadan guilty of rapes and the rape of a vulnerable person involving three women between 2009 and 2016. The court also imposed a permanent ban on Ramadan entering French territory once his sentence is served, along with eight years of judicial supervision. The judges followed the public prosecutor's request precisely, matching the 18-year term that had been sought against the Geneva-born scholar.

Judge bars Ramadan from publishing on the offense Judge Goetzmann outlined the terms of the judicial supervision in her ruling, specifying that Ramadan is forbidden from contacting any of the victims. She also prohibited him from publishing any book, audiovisual work, or making any public intervention dealing with the offense. „Consenting to sexuality is not consenting to any sexual act whatsoever” (Consenting to sexuality is not consenting to any sexual act whatsoever) — Corinne Goetzmann via 7sur7 The court maintained the effects of the arrest warrant issued against Ramadan on March 6, 2026. Ramadan has not appeared before French justice since the trial opened on March 2, 2026, and the proceedings were carried out entirely without his presence.

Three accusers, spanning seven years of alleged crimes The charges covered three separate alleged incidents across multiple cities and years. The first involved a woman identified by the pseudonym "Christelle," who accused Ramadan of aggravated rape with violence against a vulnerable person in Lyon in October 2009. The second involved Henda Ayari, described in court documents as a former Salafist who became a secular activist and who triggered the broader case by filing a complaint in October 2017, alleging rape in Paris in 2012. The third accusation involved a third woman and dated to 2016. Ramadan has contested all of the allegations against him.

Swiss conviction already on record before Paris ruling The Paris verdict adds to a prior conviction handed down by the Swiss justice system. A Swiss appeals court convicted Ramadan of rape in September 2024, overturning a previous acquittal from 2023, according to web search results. Ramadan had held prominent academic and public positions before the accusations emerged, including a professorship of contemporary Islamic studies at the University of Oxford, according to his Wikipedia entry. The Paris trial had been under way since March 2, 2026, with the court operating behind closed doors throughout. Tariq Ramadan rose to prominence as one of the most widely recognized Islamic scholars in the Western world, frequently appearing in media debates on Islam, secularism, and Muslim identity in Europe. The accusations against him first became public in October 2017, when Henda Ayari filed a complaint, amid the broader wave of allegations that followed the emergence of the MeToo movement. A Swiss appeals court overturned a 2023 acquittal and convicted him of rape in September 2024, according to web search results. The Paris trial, which began on March 2, 2026, was the second major criminal proceeding against him in Europe.

18 (years) — criminal prison sentence handed down by Paris court

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