Paris Court Orders Medical Review as Tariq Ramadan Fails to Appear in Rape Trial

Rabat – The Paris criminal court on Monday ordered a medical examination for Swiss Islamic scholar Tariq Ramadan, who is on trial for the alleged rape of three women. The decision came after Ramadan failed to appear at the opening of his trial, with his lawyers saying he is hospitalized in Geneva.

The court said the hearing will resume on Wednesday at 2 p.m. Judges will then decide whether to postpone the trial, depending on the results of a medical assessment by two neurologists. The experts will review medical documents to determine whether Ramadan is fit to stand trial. 

Earlier in the day, prosecutor Philippe Courroye asked the court to issue an international arrest warrant. He argued that Ramadan had violated the terms of his judicial supervision, which require him to inform authorities of any travel outside France. The court also noted that he was supposed to live in Saint-Denis, near Paris, not near the French-Swiss border.

Ramadan, 63, suffers from multiple sclerosis. His lawyer, Marie Burguburu, said he has been visiting Geneva for months to see his 93-year-old mother and was hospitalized during one of those visits due to a worsening of his condition. She asked the court to delay the trial until he is able to attend.

The scholar is accused of raping three women between 2009 and 2016, including activist Henda Ayari, who filed a complaint in 2017 and helped bring the case to public attention. The charges include aggravated rape involving violence and a vulnerable victim. He faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted.

In June 2024, the Paris Court of Appeal ordered the trial to go ahead. Judges said the case should focus on the alleged violence described by the complainants, rather than on the concept of “control” or psychological influence in his position of power.

Ramadan has denied the rape allegations. After initially denying any sexual relations, he later admitted to having consensual but “dominant” relationships with the women.

He was sentenced in September 2024 in Switzerland to three years in prison, including one year to be served, for the rape of a woman in Geneva in 2008. He has said he will appeal to the European Court of Human Rights.