Gisèle Pelicot spoke of her “very difficult ordeal” after 51 men were found guilty in a drug and rape case, according to AP News.
Your messages moved me deeply, and they gave me the strength to come back, every day, and survive through these long daily hearings. This trial was a very difficult ordeal.
The men were convicted by a court in the southern French city of Avignon on Thursday and received three to 20 years in prison. Pelicot expressed support for other victims of sexual violence whose cases had not drawn as much attention.
I want you to know that we share the same fight.
Pelicot became an icon for many women in France and the rest of the world when she demanded that all evidence be heard in open trial.
I never regretted making this decision. I have trust in our capacity to collectively project ourselves toward a future where all, women and men, can live in harmony, with respect and mutual understanding. Thank you.
The court sentenced her ex-husband, Dominique Pelicot, to 20 years in prison for drugging and raping her, as well as allowing other men to rape her while she was unconscious. The sentence was the maximum possible under French law and Dominique, 72, would not be eligible to ask for parole until at least two-thirds of the sentence had been served.
The lawyer of Dominique Pelicot, Béatrice Zavarro, said she would consider an appeal, but also expressed hope that Gisèle Pelicot would find comfort in the court’s judgements.
I wanted Mrs. Pelicot to be able to emerge from these hearings in peace, and I think that the verdicts will contribute to this relief for Mrs. Pelicot.
Accusation details
Of the 50 people charged with rape, only one was acquitted, but he was instead found guilty of aggravated sexual assault. Prosecutors had asked for 10 to 18 years for the accused, except for Dominique Pelicot. However, the court was more lenient, with many sentenced to less than ten years in prison.
All of the defendants were accused of participating in Dominique Pelicot’s filthy fantasies of rape and violence, which were played out in the couple’s retirement home in the small Provence town of Mazan and elsewhere.
Dominique first came to the attention of police in September 2020, when a supermarket security guard busted him for secretly filming women’s skirts. Police subsequently discovered his library of home images documenting years of abuse of his wife. Those included more than 20,000 photos and videos saved on computer discs and catalogued in folders labelled “abuse,” “her rapists,” “night alone” etc.
Investigators counted 72 different rapists in the video, but were unable to identify them all. While some of the defendants, including Dominique Pelicot, pleaded guilty to rape, many did not, even despite the video evidence.
The hearings sparked a wider debate in France about whether the country’s legal definition of rape should be broadened to include a specific reference to consent. Some put the blame on Dominique, claiming he had misled them into thinking they were taking part in a consensual perversion.
