Two French rugby players charged with aggravated rape

Prosecutors in Argentina on Friday formally charged two French international rugby players with aggravated rape.

The alleged incident occurred after a night out following a match between France and Argentina last Sunday in Mendoza.

The prosecutor's office in the city in Argentina's Cuyo region ordered the two players to remain in detention until trial.

After being arrested in the Argentinian capital of Buenos Aires, the accused were transferred some 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) to Mendoza on Thursday for their first appearance in court. The pair chose not to testify in Friday's hearing.

The French Rugby Federation had previously said that the accused — Hugo Auradou, 20, and Oscar Jegou, 21 —  admitted to having consensual sex with the alleged victim and denied any acts of violence.

What are the allegations?

The 39-year-old alleged victim's lawyer, Natacha Romano, told the AFP news agency that her client had suffered violence in a hotel room, with wounds to her face, back, breasts, legs and ribs, as well as bite and scratch marks.

The woman claims to have been raped "at least six times" by one of the men and once by the other, according to the lawyer.

The complainant said that she met Auradou at a nightclub and, after drinking alcoholic drinks with him, she began to feel dizzy.

It was at this point that the player took her to the Diplomatic Hotel in Mendoza, where the team was staying, and where the alleged rape took place with his accomplice.

A lawyer representing the two French international rugby players said his clients were confident in their version of events.

German Hnatow, one of the defense attorneys in the case, said: "They are well and sure of their version, they are calm because they know they are innocent, but of course they are worried about this whole situation that they have had to live through."

If found guilty, the accused face between eight and 20 years in prison.

jsi/rm (EFE, AFP, AP)