Tunisia Woman Raped By Cops, Charged With Indecency

Protesters take to streets in her support
By Matt Cantor,  Newser Staff
Posted Oct 2, 2012 6:23 AM CDT
Tunisia Woman Raped By Cops, Charged With Indecency
Elite police officers patrol in front of the French embassy, partially seen in background, Friday, Sept.21, 2012 in Tunis.   (AP Photo/Hassene Dridi)

Tunisian police raped a woman in her car—and when her official complaint prompted charges against them, they charged her with indecency, Amnesty International says. Hundreds are protesting against the officers today, CNN reports, and the AP notes that the woman is being questioned today. Early last month, the woman's lawyer says, police came upon her and her fiance in their car in Tunis. One cop took the fiance to an ATM to extort money; the other two raped the woman.

Police were charged with rape and extortion after her complaint; that's when the officers first said they'd discovered the couple in an "immoral position" in the vehicle. Now the couple has been charged with "intentional indecent behavior," potentially resulting in six months in jail. "We fear that the treatment afforded to the young woman will deter other victims of sexual abuse from coming forward and as they may fear being treated as the accused rather than the victim," says an Amnesty rep. (More Tunisia stories.)

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