German authorities convicted 11 men for gang-rape of an 18-year-old woman in 2018. Eight of the men involved were Syrian immigrants, adding to tensions in Germany over migration. The other three were from Iraq, Afghanistan and Germany.
The incident that took place in the city of Freiburg fuelled anti-foreigner sentiment and protests by the far-right, an AP report reads.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel had always been criticised by the right-wingers for her open-door policy towards immigrants.
The woman reported that the defendants, who were aged 18 to 30, offered her an Ecstasy tablet when she was in a night club and her drink was spiked with an unknown substance that left her unable to defend herself from her attackers.
The woman reported that several men raped her outside the disco.
The Freiburg state court convicted most of the defendants of the assault in October in 2018, of rape. The lead defendant was sentenced to five and a half years for the attack, while seven others received sentences of up to four years.
The other two were convicted of failing to provide help or prevent the rape from taking place. The court rejected assertions by the alleged ringleader and others that the sex was consensual.
