Paris Court to Try Tariq Ramadan in Absentia, Issues International Arrest Warrant

Overview

• The court ruled that Ramadan will be judged in his absence and ordered an international arrest warrant with immediate execution and dissemination.
• Two court-appointed neurologists concluded his multiple sclerosis is stable, ruled out a stroke, and deemed him able to appear despite his stay in a Geneva hospital.
• The court rejected a defense request to postpone based on a new medical note citing exhaustion, after which his four lawyers walked out of the hearing.
• The proceedings will be held behind closed doors at a victim’s request, and the presiding judge said Ramadan had provided no valid excuse for missing the start of the trial.
• The prosecutor accused him of evading justice and sought the warrant; Ramadan denies allegations that he raped three women in France between 2009 and 2016 and faces up to 20 years in prison.