French rugby players taken to Argentine city where they are accused of rape

They deny the accusation and say that the sexual intercourse with the woman was consensual.

Javier Garcia, spokesman for Mendoza’s security ministry, told AFP that the suspects would be taken by land to the city, 1,000 kilometers west of Buenos Aires. The journey could take between 12 and 15 hours.

After the initial interview in Mendoza and the medical examinations, prosecutors have 24 hours to decide whether to press charges against the players. The deadline can be extended once for a further 24 hours.

If charges are brought, a hearing will be held ten days later to decide whether the defendant must await trial in custody.

In Argentina, the penalty for sexual harassment is between six and 15 years according to the penal code. However, in the case of two offenders, the penalty can be up to 20 years.

The allegations, which have rocked French rugby and dominated headlines in Argentina, came during a South American tour by the French national team.

The alleged attack took place on Saturday evening at the Diplomatic Hotel in Mendoza, where the French players and staff were staying after the match in which they defeated Argentina.

The woman’s lawyer, Natacha Romano, told AFP on Wednesday that her client had been subjected to “brutal” violence by her tormentors and had suffered injuries to her face, back, chest, legs and ribs, as well as several bite and scratch marks.

She said the woman went with one of the men from a nightclub to a hotel room, where she was allegedly held against her will and abused for several hours.

“The violence was horrific,” Romano said. “There is more than one crime that needs to be investigated.”

The woman claims to have been raped “at least six times” by one of the men and once by the other, the lawyer said.

She allegedly made several attempts to escape.

Lawyer Rafael Cuneo Libarona, who represents the players, arrived in Mendoza on Wednesday and said the “sexual relations” were “consensual.”

“There are witnesses who saw them leave (the hotel), there are cameras that saw them leave and there do not appear to be any injuries in the footage,” Libarona, the brother of the country’s Justice Minister Mariano Cuneo Libarona, told reporters.

Romano told AFP that “the overwhelming evidence that there was no consent is the victim’s body” and the wounds he bears.

If charges are brought against the men, she will ask the court to remand them in custody, the lawyer added.

The charge must be “sexual assault with sexual intercourse,” according to the Argentine definition of rape, and also the use of violence.

Florian Grill, president of the French Rugby Federation (FFR), who is currently in Argentina, told AFP that the players had “a completely different version” of events than the woman, who had “many inconsistencies”.

“We are not judges or investigators, but we believe that the Argentine judiciary should look into the case very quickly,” he said.

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