Austria: 8 Iraqi asylum seekers jailed for gang-rape of German tourist

Eight Iraqi asylum seekers have been sentenced by an Austrian court to between nine and 13 years in jail for the brutal gang-rape of a 28-year-old German woman during New Year's celebrations over a year ago.

A group nine Iraqi nationals, between 22 and 48 years, were arrested last summer in Vienna and two other Austrian provinces and charged with "abuse of a defenseless person and rape in a very humiliating and agonizing way for the victim."

Charges against one suspect were dropped, as investigators found that he was asleep during the assault.

All members of the same family, the men came to Austria as migrants between May and December 2015. Five of them already had refugee status at the time of the assault, while the other four had their applications pending.

The brutal assault took place on 2015/2016 New Year's Eve, as the victim from the northern...