Six Cuban volleyball players charged with rape in Finland

HELSINKI (Reuters) – Six volleyball players from the Cuban national team have been charged with aggravated rape in Finland, regional prosecutors said in a statement on Tuesday.

The suspected rape occurred in July in the city of Tampere, at the hotel where the team was staying. The Cuba team were in Finland playing in a World League tournament prior to the Rio Olympics.

Finnish police initially detained eight players, but released two of them who are no longer suspects. A court ordered six suspects to remain in custody while the investigation continued. All six men have denied the charge.

The Cuban team decided to compete in the Rio Olympics despite the detention of their players in Finland, but lost all their five games.

(Reporting by Tuomas Forsell; editing by Jussi Rosendahl and Dominic Evans)