Dear All, (français dessous)
Five years ago, you expressed your support for Tariq Ramadan when he faced false accusations of rape and sexual violence. Today things are finally becoming clearer. Find here some updates :
1. Tariq Ramadan was acquitted in Switzerland in May 2023. The judges noted that the complainant had lied and was in contact with “people whose goal was to smear and bring down Tariq Ramadan” They cited the name, among others, of Caroline Fourest. They noted that it was the complainant who wrote obsessively to Tariq Ramadan ( therefore nothing justified the qualification of him being “a predator”) and that all the elements put together did not give credence to her version. It was added that she was in contact with the complainants in France for the last 14 years.
2. In France, the file is now only based on a psychiatrist’s report which has been contested, in legal terms, because the expert did not answer the questions and copied more than 15 pages from a previous report which had been canceled. This is illegal. He is also a member of a research center based in Paris and Tel Aviv, 15 of whose members have written against Tariq Ramadan in the past.
3. The NewYorker and an international media consortium revealed the United Arab Emirates paid the company ALP SERVICES $8 million to sully the reputation of high profile Muslim leaders in the West. The matter is currently being handled by the Swiss government. A meeting took place in Abu Dhabi in August 2017: the documents found spoke of two main targets “(Tariq) Ramadan and Qatar”. There was talk of tarnishing the reputation of Tariq Ramadan. The journalist Ian Hamel was recorded during that meeting and he received money from Alp Services. Toda,y he has just been sentenced in Geneva for defamation about Tariq Ramadan. He has affirmed that the Geneva State Council confirmed that the professor had had relations with students. The report stipulated in its conclusion, on the contrary, that these were just unconfirmed rumors. Ian Hamel lied. Read an excerpt of the judgment below :
“Ian HAMEL’s fault is not negligible. He attacked the appellant’s honor by attributing to him criminally reprehensible behavior. He pretended to base his remarks on an official report, commissioned by the State, while truncating its content. In doing so, he deceived the reader, which, beyond the criminal aspect, constitutes professional misconduct. His personal situation does not explain his actions. On the contrary. He had to comply with the duties of a journalist, report the truth, say what the report in question really was, and not distort, not disguise. He persists in denying any responsibility, any fault. Awareness of the seriousness of his actions is therefore lacking. He doesn’t express regrets, he doesn’t apologize.”
After 5 years, we know that this is a French case with political ramifications in the Middle-East. It is but a political case. Meanwhile, two complaints withdrew. Tariq Ramadan remains confident and he asks us to convey his thanks to those who still support him, knowing the truth and the political game behind this case.
Yours sincerely.
Free Tariq Ramadan team
30 November 2023