Jean-Claude Arnault, a Key Figure in Sweden’s Nobel Prize Scandal, Is Convicted of Rape
The French photographer Jean-Claude Arnault, whose sexual assault scandal lead to the cancellation of this year’s Nobel Prize in Literature, has been found guilty of rape and sentenced to two years in prison, the minimum term for the offense under Swedish law.
At least 18 women have come forward with claims against Arnault, citing 20 years’ worth of experiences with allegations that range from rape and sexual harassment to physical abuse. While eight women filed formal complaints, all but one of these were dropped for lack of evidence or because the cases exceeded the statute of limitations. The case that sent the 72-year-old photographer to prison involved his engaging in nonconsensual sex acts with a woman in October and December of 2011.
This marks an important moment for Sweden’s #MeToo movement, which has paralleled that of America’s in the arts and entertainment industries, where power players have found protection in the bodies they work with. In Arnault’s case, that body is the Swedish Academy, the organization that awards the Nobel Prize in Literature, and of which Arnault’s wife is a member. The Academy has since admitted that it has known about at least some of the allegations against Arnault since 1996, but that it did nothing about them, which has roiled tensions and caused rifts among members. According to Sweden’s news site The Local, six of the 18 members of the Academy have resigned or taken leave because of the scandal and several “regularly trade ugly barbs” in the press. In May, the Academy announced that in light of its “currently diminished” membership, and the general public’s “reduced confidence,” it would not be awarding a prize for 2018. Instead, two laureates will be announced in 2019.
For his part, Arnault has denied the charges, previously alleging that the encounters were consensual and his lawyer announced that he plans to appeal the unanimous verdict. Elisabeth Massi Fritz, an attorney for the victim, said that the verdict came as a “big relief” for her client. It’s “a victory for justice,” she said, and a boon to subverting “the culture of silence that surrounds rapes and sex crimes.”
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