Le Traquenard: The Trials of Ramadan is a gripping 90-minute documentary that delves into one of the most notorious cases of injustice in modern French history since the Dreyfus Affair of the 1890s.
Against the backdrop of the global #MeToo movement, the film tells the harrowing woes of Tariq Ramadan, a world-renowned Oxford Professor.
In February 2018, Ramadan voluntarily flies in from England presents himself for questioning in France regarding rape allegations.
However, to everyone’s shock, he is immediately thrown into solitary confinement at the infamous Fleury-Mérogis prison, enduring deplorable conditions for nine months without trial.
What sets this case apart from others is the stark contrast with how similar allegations were handled for other prominent figures in France.
While Ramadan suffered in solitary confinement, Budget Minister Gérald Darmanin and his colleague Nicolas Hulot—also accused of rape—were allowed to continue their daily activities, awaiting preliminary investigations that ultimately amounted to nothing.
Furthermore, the documentary sheds light on France’s complicity in harbouring Roman Polanski, a fugitive from US justice, who faces historical charges of allegedly raping an underage girl.
The Trials of Ramadan serves as a powerful indictment of the French political and judicial establishment.
It unearths a troubling pattern of downplaying sexual crimes committed by white men while displaying a willingness to circumvent due process when the accused is a Muslim man—particularly one who challenges the prevailing narrative.
Ramadan’s advocacy for minorities, particularly the Muslim community, has made him a target of the right-wing in France, revealing the lingering effects of a century of French colonialism.
Through compelling storytelling and thought-provoking analysis, The Trials of Ramadan exposes the systemic biases and double standards that plague the French justice system.
The documentary confronts the audience with uncomfortable truths and invites them to reflect on the inherent prejudices that shape our society.
