German woman sentenced harsher than rapist for calling him 'pig'
What's the story
A 20-year-old German woman, Maja R, has been sentenced to a weekend in jail for defaming a man convicted of rape. The man served no time due to his age and received only a suspended sentence. He was part of a group that gang-raped a 15-year-old girl in Hamburg four years ago. Maja, who didn't personally know the rapist, was among at least 140 individuals who sent him derogatory messages via WhatsApp after his contact details were leaked on Snapchat.
Court admission
Woman apologizes for defamatory messages
In court, Maja confessed to sending the derogatory message "without thinking twice." She apologized to the man, admitting that her actions "didn't help anyone." She had referred to the convicted rapist as a "disgraceful rapist pig" and a "disgusting freak." She also told the criminal that he "couldn't go anywhere without getting kicked in the face" and stated, "Let's hope you are just locked away."
Past record
Severity of sentence tied to previous conviction
Notably, Germany has some of the strictest defamation laws, and calling someone an "idiot" can result in a prison sentence of up to two years. Maja's sentence was more severe than that of the rapist she defamed due to her previous conviction for theft and her failure to attend court hearings related to that case. A court spokesperson said that her actions reflected ongoing public anger over the rape case, even four years later.
Legal implications
Public anger over rape case reaches new intensity
Most of the teenagers involved in the rape case avoided jail time due to German juvenile law, except for one Iranian national who openly accepted responsibility. He notoriously told the court, "What man doesn't want that?" They were all under the age of 20 at the time. Hamburg officials are currently looking into the remaining individuals for insulting or threatening the gang rapists, 100 of whom live outside of Hamburg.