Harvey Weinstein accusers criticise his overturned conviction

Harvey Weinstein's accusers have criticised his overturned conviction.

Accusers of the disgraced film producer have condemned the decision to overturn his rape conviction in New York.

It emerged on Thursday that Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction had been overturned in a 4-3 decision by the New York Court of Appeals, the state's highest court, which ruled that the trial was biased against him by allowing women to testify about allegations that were not part of the case.

The former film mogul, 72, will now face a new trial.

Shortly after the decision was announced, the Silence Breakers, a group of Weinstein survivors, released a statement.

"The news today is not only disheartening, but it's profoundly unjust," the statement read. "But this ruling does not diminish the validity of our experiences or our truth; it's merely a setback. The man found guilty continues to serve time in a California prison. When survivors everywhere broke their silence in 2017, the world changed."

The Silence Breakers continued, "We continue to stand strong and advocate for that change. We will continue to fight for justice for survivors everywhere."

Weinstein was convicted of one count of criminal sexual act in the first degree and one count of third-degree rape in 2020 and is serving a 23-year sentence at Mohawk Correctional Facility in New York. He was also sentenced to 16 years in Los Angeles in 2023 for a series of sex crimes.

Juda Engelmayer, a spokesperson for the former film producer, said his team was "cautiously excited" about the decision. "He still has a long road ahead of him because of the Los Angeles case. We are studying the ramifications of the appeal right now."