Photo: Giusy Marinelli/Ropi via ZUMA
A massive crowd of protestors showed up to an Italian courthouse this week in response to a ruling that cleared two men of rape charges due to the alleged victim’s undesirable appearance.
Though the case occurred two years ago, the shocking ruling was brought to light on Monday after Italy’s highest appeal court ordered the decision be overturned and the case retried,The Guardianreports. Close to 200 people gathered in the town of Ancona to protest the original decision.
“It’s shameful, but to get almost 200 people at the protest was a miracle for Italy,” Cinzia Molinaro, the woman’s lawyer, told the outlet. “Fortunately, it shows that sensitivity towards such topics is becoming stronger.”
The three Ancona court judges claimed that the alleged victim’s story was not “credible” enough since she looked “too masculine” to be raped,according to theItalian wire service Ansa General News.
Supreme Court of Cassation in Rome.
Their arguments were reportedly based on a photograph on the woman, as well as the two men allegedly stating that they were not attracted to her. One of the defendants even allegedly had the woman’s name in his phone under “Viking,”The Guardiansaid.
“It was disgusting to read; the judges expressed various reasons for deciding to acquit them, but one was because the [defendants] said they didn’t even like her because she was ugly. They also wrote that a photograph [of the woman] reflected this,” she toldThe Guardian.
According to Molinaro, her client’s drink was spiked with drugs during a group encounter at a bar after an evening class. She also explained that doctors believed her injuries were “consistent with rape” and found a high level of benzodiazepines in her blood.
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Benzodiazepines are prescribed depressant medications, often used to treat anxiety and depression, theCenter for Substance Abuse Research (CESAR)reports. Because of their sedative properties, they can be potentially abused, especially if combined with alcohol.
It is not clear, however, what specific benzodiazepine was found in her bloodstream.
The woman eventually left Ancona and moved back to Peru because of how badly she was ostracized for reporting the men, Molinaro said.
Molinaro did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
source: people.com
