Tunisia woman faces charges for being raped
Hundreds are protesting in Tunisia to support the woman who was raped by police officers.
A 27-year-old woman said police officers stopped her last month. One officer held back the woman’s fiancé while two others raped her. The officers denied they did anything wrong and said the woman was engaging in immoral behavior with her fiancé, according to the AP.
On Tuesday, the woman was being questioned by investigators who will decide if they will move on with the accusations of violating modesty laws.
Lawyer Emna Zahouni stated that there is pressure for the woman to drop the charges against the officers but she wants to carry this on until the end.
“At best, charging the victim of a rape by police officers instead of protecting her from intimidation and stigma highlights the deep flaws on Tunisian law and criminal justice system,” said Hassiba Hadj Sahraoui, deputy Middle East and North Africa program director at Amnesty International.
“This case first shocked public opinion since the innocent woman was raped by policemen,” said Salah Eddine El Jorshi of the Tunisian League of Human Rights. “But when the verdict was announced, we were shocked even more that they tried to take this to another level by targeting the victim herself.”
According to CNN, the woman’s fiancé has also been charged, and they can both face up to six months in prison.
“We fear that the treatment afforded to the young woman will deter other victims of sexual abuse from coming forward and as they may fear being treated as the accused rather than the victim,” Sahraoui said.
