Paris trial opens for Rohan Rane, 'fascist' and masculinist student accused of sexually torturing minors

A trial commenced in Paris on Monday involving an Indian man, Rohan Rane, who allegedly orchestrated a neo-Nazi child abuse network responsible for coercing young girls into engaging in sexual activities online and self-harm. The alleged victims, predominantly minors, were subjected to abuse in multiple countries, including the United States, Netherlands, Britain and Estonia.

The perpetrators, consisting of men from Germany, New Zealand and the United States, communicated via the messaging app Discord, espousing racist and anti-Semitic beliefs, hostility towards feminists and the LGBT+ community.

Rane, a 29-year-old Indian national studying business in Antibes, France, then transitioning to fitness coaching, is alleged to be the group's leader. He faces charges encompassing torture or acts of barbarity against minors, organized extortion and dissemination of child sexual abuse material, with a potential sentence of life imprisonment should he be found guilty.

The case was initiated in November 2020 after the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children reported online images depicting a 12-year-old girl with her chest exposed and a user encouraging her to carve "Rohan" into her body.

Five American women, aged 18 to 21, have joined the case as civil parties and are set to testify via video link. The Paris criminal court decided to hold the trial behind closed doors, contrary to a request for an open trial by Rane's lawyer, Hippolyte Marquetty, and a request from US authorities. The judge cited the group's tendency to intimidate victims and witnesses, the threat of exposing videos showing torture and humiliation of victims, often under the age of 15, and the importance of safeguarding public morality as reasons for the closed-door proceedings.

Marquetty argued that the closed-door trial was paradoxical given Rane's alleged efforts to isolate victims, and emphasized the importance of raising awareness about the dangers teenagers face on social media. The prosecutor concurred with the closed-door decision to preserve cooperation with the United States. Rane did not comment on the request for a closed-door trial.