A woman in Germany got harsher punishment than a convicted rapist for calling the man a "disgraceful rapist pig".
The woman was found guilty of defaming the man, who was convicted for gang-raping a 15-year-old girl in Hamburg in 2020, The Telegraph reported.
20-year-old Maja R on a WhatsApp message called the man a "disgraceful rapist pig" and a "disgusting freak", which are considered defamatory under the German law.
While the convicted rapist was granted a suspended sentence with no prison time due to his age, Maja was sentenced to a weekend in jail for her words.
She sent the messages to him after his name and number were leaked on Snapchat.
“Aren’t you ashamed when you look in the mirror? You cannot go anywhere without getting kicked in the face. Let’s hope you are just locked away," Maja texted the man calling him a "disgraceful rapist pig" and a "disgusting freak", as reported by the publication.
All the nine rapists were under 20 at the time of conviction, thus, were subjected to juvenile law. Only one of them, who was aged 19 at the time and an Iranian national served prison -- the reason is unknown.
Maja's conviction was backed by the fact that she had a previous conviction for theft and did not attend the court hearing for the case, the publication said.
While Maja said that she had sent the message to the man "without thinking twice", she later apologised to him telling the court that her action "did not help anyone".
The incident of Maja getting sentenced to jail for "defaming" a rapist, who was let go by the court, sparked an outrage over the alleged flaws in Germany’s judicial system.
The whole incident has shed light on Germany’s harsh defamation laws, which can put someone behind the bars for even mild slurs like “idiot”.