Canadian University Student Convicted of Rape, But Was the Judge Biased Against Men? New at Reason

Concerns that the crusade against “rape culture” is creating an accusation-equals-guilt mindset in sexual assault cases have been mostly aimed at colleges. It’s campuses that employ extralegal tribunals to settle rape disputes—tribunals where the accused often do not have the right to an attorney, to cross-examine their accusers, or to examine the evidence against them. But the latest contentious rape case comes from a real court—albeit in Canada, where feminist activism has been much more successful in influencing the justice system than in the United States.

On July 21, Mustafa Ururyar, a 29-year-old York University graduate student, was found guilty of sexually assaulting fellow grad student Mandi Gray, 28. The verdict was handed down by Ontario Court Judge Marvin Zuker in a non-jury trial. The alleged rape—and I say “alleged,” because after reading the 180-page judgment I see no grounds for a finding of guilt beyond a reasonable doubt—happened in the early morning hours of January 31, 2015.

The case is a classic he sad/she said, writes Cathy Young.

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