Rio de Janeiro: Brazilian police say they are hunting for more than 30 men suspected of participating in the gangrape of a 16-year-old over the weekend. The attackers posted pictures and videos of the assault on the unconscious teenager on Twitter.
Police said on Thursday that the girl was assaulted by armed men Saturday while visiting a shantytown on the west side of Rio de Janeiro. She told authorities she regained consciousness Sunday morning.
In her statement to the police, the victim said that the moment she woke up, she saw nearly 30 men surrounding her with weapons in their hand. Before she could think of anything, they attacker her and brutally raped her till she passed out.
Read: Brazil police issue warrants in gangrape of teenage girl
The UN women's rights agency condemned the cases after the video was posted on Twitter apparently by one of the rapists who boasted about the assault.
According to Brazilian media, the video posted on Wednesday showed a girl of 16 surrounded by men who claimed she had been raped by 30 of them in Rio de Janeiro, which hosts the Olympic Games in August.
The video focused on few men brazenly insulting the girl, showing their faces, and one man heard saying, "more than 30 impregnated her!" The Twitter account where the video was posted has since been suspended.
Hashtags on Twitter such as #EstuproNaoÉCulpaDaVitima - Portuguese for "rape is not the victim's fault" - blasting the reported crime were among the top global trends.
Many Facebook users in Brazil, including suspended President Dilma Rousseff, the nation's first woman leader, changed their profile photos to the Venus female gender symbol with words calling for an end to a "culture of rape."
Brazil's interim President Michel Temer wrote on his Twitter account that he "vehemently repudiates" the alleged rape, and added that "it is absurd that in the 21st century we have to live with barbaric crimes like this."
Brazil's rape culture
In another case, a group of at least five men allegedly drugged and raped a 17-year-old girl in the northeastern state of Piaui.
"Apart from the fact that these are young women, these barbaric cases are similar in that the teenagers were lured by their attackers in premeditated plots," the spokeswoman for UN Women in Brazil, Nadine Gasman, said on Thursday.
"I cried when I saw the video. We all cried. I regret seeing it,” the victim’s grandmother was quoted as saying. "When we heard the story, we didn't believe it. It's a depressing situation," added her grandmother.
The posting of the video by the attackers sparked a wave of revulsion among Brazilians on social media.
Four suspects have been arrested so far in connection with the gangrape. Rio de Janeiro police said they were investigating the case.
