The rape conviction against Harvey Weinstein has been overturned

Judges ruled that the former Hollywood producer did not get a fair trial in New York in 2020.

Thursday 25 April at 15:55

He writes The New York Times.

The 72-year-old was one of Hollywood's most powerful men, including being a co-founder of production company Miramax. The accusations against Weinstein were central to the metoo movement.

He was sentenced in 2020 to 23 years in prison for raping a young production assistant and a young actor in 2006 and 2013, respectively.

The case must now be brought before the court again because the court believes that a crucial error has been made in the case.

The mistake was that Prosecution authorityThe Public Prosecutor's Office is the public body that leads the investigation of criminal cases. He called several women who accused Weinstein of raping them as witnesses. But these accusations were never part of the indictment against Weinstein.

Thus, the judges say that Weinstein did not receive a fair trial.

Actress Ashley Judd was among the first to accuse Weinstein of sexual assault, and she's reacting to the judges' decision.

“This is unfair to survivors,” she tells the New York Times.

-We are still living with our truth. She adds: We know what happened.

The revocation in no way means that Weinstein is a free man.

In another trial in Los Angeles last year, he was sentenced to 16 years in prison for the 2013 rape and assault of an Italian actor.

It is not clear how the decision will affect Weinstein's sentencing in the New York case.

He has previously been accused of sexually assaulting more than 100 women, including famous actresses such as Angelina Jolie and Salma Hayek. In New York, he was convicted of two charges.