An Indian man went on trial in Paris on Monday, accused of running a neo-Nazi child exploitation ring in which young girls were allegedly coerced into performing sexual acts online and engaging in self-harm.

The group is believed to have abused numerous young girls, most of them minors, in countries including the United States, the Netherlands, Britain and Estonia.

Investigators say the victims were targeted by a group of men from Germany, New Zealand and the US who communicated on the popular messaging platform Discord. They espoused racist and anti-Semitic views and expressed hostility toward feminists and the LGBT+ community.

Rohan Rane, a 29-year-old Indian national who came to France to study at a business school in the southeastern city of Antibes before becoming a fitness coach, is described by investigators as the group’s leader.

He is being tried on charges including torture or acts of barbarity against minors, organised extortion and dissemination of child sexual abuse material.

If convicted, he faces up to life in prison.

The case was triggered in November 2020 by a report from the National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children.

Five American women, aged 18 to 21, have joined the case as civil parties and were expected to testify by video link this week.

According to a court document released by the US Department of Justice, the internet-based group dubbed CVLT espoused “neo-Nazism, nihilism, and paedophilia as its core principles”.

Closed-door trial

The Paris criminal court on Monday ordered the trial be held behind closed doors.

The decision was made despite a request for an open trial by Hippolyte Marquetty, a lawyer for the five American victims, and followed a request from US authorities.

According to the ruling read out by the presiding judge, the group allegedly led by Rane, which was particularly active in the US, had already sought to intimidate victims and witnesses and had threatened US prosecutors.

The court also cited the risk of offending public morality, noting that videos showing the torture and humiliation of victims, often under the age of 15, were expected to be screened during proceedings scheduled to run until Friday.

Backed by child protection groups, Marquetty unsuccessfully opposed the closed-door proceedings, arguing that it was “paradoxical” for a defendant accused of isolating his victims to be tried behind closed doors.

He said his clients believed it was important to raise awareness of the dangers teenage girls face on social media.

Noting what he described as “absolutely exemplary cooperation with the United States”, the prosecutor had recommended granting the request for closed-door proceedings so as not to jeopardise that cooperation.

Rane declined to comment on the request for a closed-door trial.