In a disturbing case in France, three Algerian men have been accused of gang-raping a Polish woman inside a squatted apartment in the city of Gap.
The incident took place on December 13, when the 42-year-old woman, visiting her daughter and a friend, stopped at the apartment, unaware it was next door to the men’s. Prosecutors say the men, who were living in the apartment illegally, targeted her.
The three suspects, all of Algerian nationality, were already in France unlawfully. According to Marion Lozac’hmeur, the public prosecutor, one of the men had been issued an “obligation to leave French territory” (OQTF), and the other two were also subject to new deportation orders by the Hautes-Alpes prefecture. Despite these orders, they remained in the country.
Though details remain scarce, reports indicate that six men were squatting in the apartment, but only three have been arrested following police interrogations. The relationship between the woman and the suspects before the attack remains unclear, as well as how she ended up in their apartment.
In a shocking twist, despite the deportation orders, it is unclear why the three men had not yet been deported. According to previous reports, deportation rates for Algerians in France are appallingly low, with only 0.2% of those with deportation orders actually being sent back to their home country. This statistic has drawn widespread attention, particularly following the brutal rape, torture, and murder of 12-year-old Lola by an Algerian woman with a longstanding deportation order in 2022.
The three men, born between 1995 and 2005, are currently in pretrial detention, facing charges of gang rape, as reported by Le Dauphine.
