Weinstein rape accuser leaves Italy after 'slut-shaming' in national press
An award-winning actress who has accused Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein of rape has said she has left her native Italy after being "slut-shamed" in the press.
Asia Argento, one of three women who accused the movie mogul of rape in a recent article in the New Yorker magazine, has vowed to return to the country "when things improve to fight alongside all the other women".
Far-right daily Libero published an article entitled: 'First they give it away, then they whine and pretend to repent', with the subtitle reading: 'Falling for your boss's sexual advances is prostitution, not rape', according to Mashable.
Argento told Variety that she has been "shamed by the Italian media, which is medieval,” adding that "until the 60s you could kill your wife and it was called murder of honour, if she had cheated.
“Until 1996 rape was considered a crime against morals, not against a person."
Argento originally told The New Yorker that she did not speak out until recently because she feared that Weinstein would “crush” her.
“I know he has crushed a lot of people before,” Argento told the New Yorker.
“That’s why this story—in my case, it’s twenty years old, some of them are older—has never come out.”
In the same article, the actress admitted that she had "consensual sexual relations with him multiple times over the course of the next five years".
Harvey Weinstein, 65, has “unequivocally denied” all allegations of non-consensual sex through a representative.
Separately, the brother of Harvey Weinstein has denied sexually harassing a producer as a television network investigates the claims.
US broadcaster Spike said on Tuesday that it is taking "very seriously" allegations about Bob Weinstein made by Amanda Segel, a former executive producer of sci-fi series The Mist.
She said he made repeated romantic overtures and requests to join him for private dinners over the course of three months until threats from her lawyer that she would leave the show if he did not stop, US magazine Variety reported.
The allegation came as Harvey Weinstein resigned from the board of directors of The Weinstein Company after being accused by more than 30 actresses of sexual harassment and assault.
