17-year-old Uzbek fencer was gang-raped in Italy

The prosecutor's office in Italy has launched an investigation into the gang rape of a 17-year-old fencer

Photo: Global Look Press

A 17-year-old fencer from Uzbekistan was gang-raped by Italian athletes in the city of Siena, Italy. The case is being investigated by the local prosecutor's office. According to the newspaper Il Messaggero, the girl reported that three athletes from the local fencing federation abused her in August 2023.

The media reported that on the morning of August 5, the girl woke up surrounded by three young men making “explicit sexual jokes.” There were multiple bruises on her body. It is stated that the girl tried to get to her room, but lost consciousness. On the same day, the athlete’s mother took her to a medical facility, but she was turned away from the hospital in Frascati. She was given first aid in one of the clinics in Rome, and later she was examined at a hospital in San Giovanni. Alcohol and drugs were found in the athlete's blood. It is stated that the day before the girl drank “beer and two glasses.”

The publication clarifies that the two specified young people are under investigation as suspects. The victim's lawyer, Luciano Guidarelli, sent requests to the sports federation for six months demanding that they be suspended from participation in competitions as precautionary measures. Despite this, the defense lawyer said that the girl had crossed paths with her offenders twice in a year, which caused her “secondary trauma.”

The Italian Fencing Federation, in turn, stated that the organization does not have the authority to remove athletes from such cases.