The South African AIDS activist who withdrew the rape charges against her compatriot judge Sirajuddin Desai on Friday insisted that her accusations were true.

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According to the 'victim's' lawyer, Gabriela Palacios, her client "never said that her complaint of rape was untrue. She only said she is withdrawing the charges to put an end to the matter".

Palacios claimed that the media had distorted the statement issued on Thursday evening because her client had not in any way said she had "unconditionally" withdrawn the charges.

The 27-year old woman claimed that Desai had raped her in a hotel room in Mumbai during the recently concluded World Social Forum.