Romanian court lifts house arrest of Andrew Tate

British kickboxing influencer and fighter Andrew Tate, known for his controversial social media presence and lifestyle, was released by Romanian courts. Tate was arrested and indicted in June on charges of human trafficking, rape and setting up a criminal gang. Pending his trial on these charges, Tate is free in Romania.

Until Friday, Tate was under house arrest. His defense won the appeal in the courts of Bucharest, the capital of Romania. However, he is banned from leaving the region of the country pending further developments in his criminal proceedings.

Tate will also not be allowed to approach or maintain any communication with any other party involved in his trial. Along with Tate, his brother Tristan was also charged and imprisoned in Romania. With two other Romanian men, they formed an alleged criminal gang that led to their arrest.

According to the indictment, Tate and his associates allegedly sexually exploited at least seven women. The victims were allegedly forced to record pornographic content for distribution on the internet. The Romanian Prosecutor's Office also accused the group of running a money laundering operation.

Misogyny and luxury cars

Since the beginning of the criminal case against Tate, the British fighter and influencer defended himself and claimed to be innocent. He claims that the victims of his alleged crimes do not exist. Tate is a well-known figure on social media for his content widely considered to be far-right. His controversial style earned him a large number of detractors online who accuse him of being a misogynist.

Shortly before his arrest, Tate recorded and posted a video confronting Greta Thunberg, the environmental activist. In the much-touted video, Tate showed off his multiple high-end cars while smoking a cigar in a bathrobe and eating a pizza. That same week, Romanian police raided his mansion and arrested him.