Brazil ‘mass rape’ video: Seven suspects to be charged

Six men and a minor are to be charged in Rio de Janeiro with raping a 16-year-old girl and posting pictures and video on the internet, police say.
The lead investigator in the case has sent her conclusions to prosecutors, asking for all of them to be arrested.
The victim said she was doped after going to her boyfriend’s house and woke up in a different house, surrounded by 33 men, in May.
The case shocked Brazil and led to protests by women’s groups.
It came to light after a 40-second video of the attack, in a poor community in the west of the city was posted on Twitter.
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Police investigator Cristiana Bento said one of the main pieces of evidence was the phone with which the recording was made.
The inquiry determined that the victim, now under state protection, was raped in two different incidents, Ms Bento added.
Two of the accused have already been detained, local media said.
They could face up to 15 years in jail for rape, eight years for making the images and six years for sharing them, Ms Bento said.
A new investigation is expected to determine if more people took part in the rape.
The case led to an online campaign against what activists called a culture of rape in Brazil.
Rape in Brazil
47,636 rapes were reported to the police in 2014
It is estimated only 35% of rape cases are reported
One rape is reported to police in Brazil every 11 minutes
Experts say many cases go unreported as victims fear retaliation, shame and blame for the violence they have suffered

By -bbx