Facebook Livestream Alleged Rapists to Be Prosecuted in Sweden

Facebook logos are pictured on the screens of a smartphone (R), and a laptop computer, in
JUSTIN TALLIS/AFP/Getty Images

A trio of asylum seekers will be prosecuted after they livestreamed the rape of a young Swedish woman on Facebook from an apartment in the Swedish city of Uppsala in late January.

Two of the asylum seekers involved, one aged 18 and the other 21, are to be tried for the rape of the unnamed victim. The third migrant, aged 24, will be prosecuted for being complicit in the rape and not disclosing the incident to Swedish authorities. The 24-year-old is also said to have been the one who filmed the ordeal and will also be prosecuted for aggravated slander for broadcasting the incident over social media, Swedish broadcaster SVT reports.

Stefan Wallin, the lawyer for the 21-year-old suspect, claims it was not rape but was a consensual sexual act. The lawyer went on to say his client could prove the woman had been in the apartment willingly and showed consent throughout the incident.

“In the witness evidence the prosecution presents, we have seen this movie, but the intimate moment between my client and the victim occurred about 45 minutes to one hour before this film,” Wallin said.

Henry Stolare, another lawyer for the suspects, claimed the video was incomplete and said there was a large portion missing.

Prosecutor Pontus Melander said the basis of the prosecution comes from the testimony of eight separate witnesses. Melander said the prosecution has contacted Facebook directly for the entire footage, but said Facebook has not provided it.

Speaking to Swedish media, Melander said: “The footage we have collected is not nearly complete.”

He added: “We know that there is more material than we have so far received.We know this through the testimony.”

The three men, two of which have been identified as Afghan asylum seekers by Swedish conservative site Friatider, were arrested during the course of the live stream which was viewed by hundreds before being taken down by the police.

Another witness came forward a day later claiming she had also been raped by the same men in 2015.  The 21-year-old said one of the men in the video had attacked her while she was in the shower. “I had bruises and scratches all over my body, the throat, and where he squeezed my breasts.”

“I hope he is convicted, this should not happen again,” she said.

 Follow Chris Tomlinson on Twitter at @TomlinsonCJ or email at ctomlinson@breitbart.com

COMMENTS

Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.