Gérard Depardieu accused of rape by Spanish journalist

A Spanish journalist and author has filed a criminal complaint against Gérard Depardieu for allegedly raping her during an interview nearly three decades ago in Paris.

Ruth Baza, 51, filed the complaint with Spain’s national police last week for the alleged rape, becoming one of more than a dozen women who have accused the French actor of sexual abuse.

Baza has alleged that she was 23 when Depardieu raped her when she interviewed him for the Cinemania magazine in Paris on 12 October 1995, reported Barcelona-based newspaper La Vanguardia.

She said that the actor kissed her on the face and penetrated with her fingers through her cloths, an allegation that has been classified as rape by the police, it reported.

Baza said she felt “paralysed” in what she said was “an intrusion without any consent, at any time”.

Initially, Baza told AFP about "sexual assault", but when questioned specifically about rape, she confirmed it was described as rape by the police.

Last year Spain passed new legislation known popularly as the “only yes means yes law” to remove the distinction between sexual abuse and sexual aggression (rape) by explicitly stating that consent is the determining factor. The law was also expanded to include online abuse and grooming into the definition of rape, each carrying different punishments.

A rape conviction under Spain’s laws carries a maximum sentence of 15 years.

Baza told AFP that she had “completely” forgotten the alleged assault by the French actor but the latest string of allegations brought back the memories.

Depardieu was first put under judicial investigation on rape and sexual assault charges in 2020. He was indicted on rape and sexual assault charges after he was accused of raping French film star Charlotte Arnould, 28, at his Paris mansion in 2018.

The case was dropped in 2019 with authorities citing a lack of evidence, but was reopened in 2020 when criminal charges were filed. He is currently awaiting trial or for the charges to be dismissed.

In April this year, he was accused of sexual harassment by 13 women, a number that has reportedly increased to 16. French investigative news website Mediapart said Depardieu has been accused of harassing, groping or sexually assaulting these women.

Paris prosecutors are also investigating the apparent suicide earlier this month of actress Emmanuelle Debever, aged 60, who had claimed she was sexually assaulted decades ago by Depardieu.

Prosecutors said they are investigating the cause of her death based on "media reports" regarding complaints she filed against the actor in 2019. On Facebook, she had alleged that Depardieu had fondled her during the filming of the movie Danton in 1982.

Her death on 12 December coincided with the release of an investigative documentary that included the footage of the actor making sexist remarks about women. The documentary titled Gérard Depardieu: The Fall of the Ogre was aired on national TV channel France 2 and reignited a debate about sexism in French cinema and on allegations against the actor.

Depardieu earlier denied all the allegations against him in an open letter in Le Figaro in October.

“Never, ever have I abused a woman,” he wrote. “To the media court, to the lynching that has been reserved for me, I have only my word to defend myself.”

His family has called it an "unprecedented conspiracy" against him.

On 7 December, French media outlets reported a new complaint had been filed against Depardieu by French actor Hélène Darras. Darras, who worked with Depardieu on the 2008 film Disco, claims she was sexually assaulted on the film’s set.

On Monday, the Grevin Museum in Paris removed the wax figure of the actor amid the renewed focus on allegations of sexual assault

It followed the Belgian municipality’s decision to strip Depardieu of honorary citizen title after the Quebec province of Canada also withdrew its top honour to the actor over the comments shown in the documentary.

The Oscar and Bafta-nominated actor is known for his work in French classics like The Last Metro, Jean de Florette and Cyrano de Bergerac and English-language movies including Green Card and Life of Pi.

If you have been raped or sexually assaulted, you can contact your nearest Rape Crisis organisation for specialist, independent and confidential support. For more information, visit their website here.