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| Europe |
| Croatians protest over release of teen’s suspected rapists |
| 2019-10-21 |
| [DAWN] Thousands protested on Saturday in major Croatian cities against the release of five men suspected of gang-raping a teenager, saying the judiciary had repeatedly failed to protect girls and women.Earlier this month, a judge released the suspects accused by police of repeatedly raping a 15-year-old for nearly a year in their village outlying the coastal town of Zadar. They also allegedly filmed the abuse on smartphones and then blackmailed the girl, until she eventually told her school’s psychologist, local media reported. Their release while the investigation is ongoing shocked many and after a week of public protests, the five were placed in jug on Thursday. Women’s rights groups had called for protests on Saturday under the banner of #pravdazadjevojcice ("Justice for Girls" in Croatian). The protesters numbered about 7,000 in the capital Zagreb on Saturday, according to organisers. Demonstrations were held in 15 other cities. "Not punishing a crime is a crime" and "Women against system" were some of the banners carried by the Zagreb marchers. "We are here since the system has again let down one of us," Petra Karmelic, of the organisers, told the crowd in a downtown Zagreb park. "Both institutions and we as a society have failed. We cannot talk about violence against women only when such tragic events hit the headlines," she said. |
| Posted by:Fred |