Switzerland’s supreme court on Thursday dismissed an appeal by Islamic scholar Tariq Ramadan, upholding his conviction for rape and sexual coercion. Ramadan, the grandson of Muslim Brotherhood founder Hassan al-Banna, had been sentenced by a Geneva appeals court in 2023 to three years in prison, two of which were suspended, for assaulting a woman in a Geneva hotel nearly two decades ago.
“The Federal Court dismissed Tariq Ramadan’s appeal against the conviction for rape and sexual coercion handed down by the Geneva Court of Justice,” the court announced.
The decision marks the first final conviction against the former Oxford University professor, who still faces multiple rape allegations across Switzerland and France. His defense has long claimed the accusations are part of a “Zionist plot,” but European courts have repeatedly advanced the cases against him.
Ramadan, a married father of four, was once celebrated in academic and Islamic circles, but his reputation collapsed after accusations surfaced during the height of the “Me Too” movement in 2017. He was forced to take leave from Oxford University and later faced multiple criminal inquiries.
The scholar has also faced scrutiny for his political ties. The Bush administration barred him from entering the U.S. in 2004 after reports surfaced that he donated to the Association de Secours Palestinien, a group accused of funding Hamas. The ban was lifted in 2010 under then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
The Swiss supreme court rejected Ramadan’s claims that the Geneva court’s evidence review had been “arbitrary” and dismissed his procedural objections. Lawyers for the victim, a Muslim convert identified only as “Brigitte,” welcomed the ruling, saying it brought closure after years of legal battles.
Ramadan still faces additional legal challenges in France, where several women have accused him of rape and assault.
