An Indian court has sentenced six men to life in prison for gang-raping a Swiss tourist in March.
The Times of India reported that each man was also ordered to pay a fine of 10,000 Rupees (CHF160).
According to the newspaper’s online edition, the prosecution in the case was pleased with the ruling.
«All the accused have been convicted and we are satisfied with the judgement. We had made strong arguments in the court,» said public prosecutor Rajendra Tiwari.
On March 15, the six attackers between the ages of 20 and 30 came across a Swiss couple camping in the woods in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. They bound the man and raped the woman, also stealing the couple’s mobile phone, a laptop computer and 10,000 rupees (CHF175).
Violence against women in India has been a hot topic since a series of violent crimes, including the gang-rape and beating of a 23-year-old physiotherapy student on a New Delhi bus, captured the world’s attention.
One woman is raped every 20 minutes in India, according to the country’s National Crime Records Bureau, though only four in ten are ever reported because victims fear being shamed by their families and communities.