Accusation of a group sex assault. - Nine soccer players from Chile are now in custody.
Nine soccer players in Chile were detained on Thursday for allegedly raping a young lady in September 2021 while they were still part of the youth team for the first division club CD Cobreloa. All Chilean media outlets have reported on this matter.
Two of the accused players are still with the club and were supposedly arrested during practice.
The crime apparently happened on the 21st of September 2021, at a barbecue held by the club, where an 18-year-old girl was a guest.
The case was initially dropped in April 2022 when the victim stepped back from pressing charges. At that time, the club made a statement denying the allegations and saying it was "impossible to prove abuse or gang rape."
However, there has been a significant turn of events.
Chile's Interior Minister, Carolina Toha, commented on the issue on her platform, "X" (formerly Twitter), saying "Sexual and gender-based violence are crimes that are the most challenging for victims to report and denounce." She added that "the arrests are crucial to fortify trust in the institutions and move forward with the process towards justice." She also stated to the media that "it's welcome news that this case is progressing, three years after the complaint was lodged."
In addition to the ongoing police and public prosecutor inquiries, a special commission of Members of Congress, led by MPs Marisela Santibáñez and Andrés Giordano, has been set up to investigate the matter further.
The Chilean Football Association (ANFP) also took prompt action and suspended the nine players without delay. Their statement read that they "reject and condemn any violent act and any form of behavior that constitutes sexual abuse, sexual harassment, discrimination, and mistreatment of any individual." Furthermore, they affirmed their "commitment to cooperate fully in the current investigation," intending to see the accused "punished with the harshest penalties the law allows" in case the accusations stand true.
If the allegations are proven accurate, the soccer players could face lengthy incarceration.
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Source: www.bild.de
