Outrageous: Court reduces jailtime for rapist, says rape lasted only 11 minutes

A court in Switzerland ordered the prison sentence of a convicted rapist to be reduced stating that the sexual assault only lasted 11 minutes and did not severely injure the victim, says a report by Swiss Info.

The verdict caused widespread outrage as hundreds came out protesting in the city of Basel.

Switzerland only defines rape as forced sex involving violence, threats or psychological pressure. This means that in certain situations, unless a woman specifically defends herself, her aggressor will be charged with "sexual harassment" rather than "rape"https://t.co/4ldwDEoiu1

— daktari Linnie (@ElenaNjeru) August 9, 2021

The victim, a woman whose age has not been reported, was raped by a 33-year-old man from Portugal and his friend aged 17 in an apartment in the city in northwest of Switzerland.

The crime happened in February 2020 and the accused adult was charged in August the same year. The juvenile friend awaits judgment.

The latest court order reduces the jail term from 51 months to 36 months. At some places, the reduced figure is reportedly 1.5 years.

TW // sexual violence

Outrageous: court in Basel reduces prison sentence of rape convict from 4+ to 1.5 years since the victim was found partially responsible: she made out with another guy that night....
If this is lawful, MUCH needs to change!#rapeculture #victimblaming https://t.co/jZ8xEm4bXr

— Michael Moor (@Michael_D_Moor) August 1, 2021

The decision to reduce the rapist’s sentence from 4 years and 3 months to 3 years came from Basel Court President Court President Justice Liselotte Henz. He could be released as early as tomorrow, August 11, as reported by another Swiss news website 20 Minuten.

Justice Henz stated that the victim was “playing with fire” by sending “certain signals.” This is in referenced to the victim reportedly documented making out with another person in a nightclub before the rape. The judge further stated that the convict was at “medium” fault!

The judge went on to say that the perpetrator was at "medium" fault for the incident.

Protesters outside the Swiss Appeals Court in Basel displayed banners against the verdict.