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The trial of the deposed producer Harvey Weinstein opened this Monday, January 6 in New York. The former film producer faces charges of rape and sexual harassment. He decided to plead not guilty.
Harvey Weinstein appeared at the Manhattan courthouse bent in two, walking with a walker. Dressed in a white shirt, in a black suit and tie, his face almost waxy, the 67-year-old producer arrived surrounded by his lawyers and bodyguards. A dozen of his alleged victims were waiting for him in court. " He looked like a coward. He avoided us, didn't look at us , ”one of them creaked.
Among these women, actress Rosanna Arquette was one of the first to denounce the behavior of Harvey Weinstein in 2017, accusing him of having torpedoed his career for having resisted his advances. " We are here to make this criminal case focus on the culprit, his actions, not those of his victims. To ensure that justice is done. "
► Read also: Harvey Weinstein, women and #MeToo: trial time
Harvey Weinstein is being prosecuted for rape and sexual assault, recalls our New York correspondent, Loubna Anaki . The trial which opened on Monday concerns only two accusers out of a hundred others for whom the facts were prescribed. Actress Rose McGowan is one of them. Become an important figure of the MeToo movement, she wanted to be there in support of the two women who appear. " These women who are going to be dragged through the mud, they are there for us. And I am proud of them. We have been deprived of our time and I hope they will have theirs. Their victory will be ours and their defeat will be ours. "
Procedural issues
Inside the court, Harvey Weinstein remained silent, apart from a few discussions with his lawyer. The hearing lasted 1 hour 20 minutes and was mainly devoted to procedural questions, reports our special envoy, Anne Corpet . The defense of the ousted producer tried to obtain that the jurors be imprisoned throughout the duration of the trial, fearing that they would be influenced by newcomers from other pending proceedings against the producer, especially in Los Angeles where he comes to be charged with two cases of sexual assault committed in 2013. The motion was dismissed by the judge.
The prosecution, however, obtained that defense lawyers stop speaking about witnesses. Last weekend, Harvey Weinstein's lawyer described one of the accusers as "a very good actress " and described their ties as " a romantic relationship ". Any comments about the complainants are now prohibited for the defenders of Harvey Weinstein, and in particular Donna Rotunno, the one known as the "courtroom bulldog". She has already defended 39 men accused of sexual assault and has lost only one trial.
On the accusation side, lawyers say they want an exemplary trial to show the world that in most cases, rape victims know their attacker and that the events do not necessarily take place under armed threat. " I defended Nafissatou Diallo against Dominique Strauss-Kahn in 2011. At the time, the trial had not ended, " recalled one of the plaintiffs' lawyers, before adding: " This time, I have confidence. Society has evolved. "
Harvey Weinstein has always denied the facts. If convicted, the American producer faces life in prison.