In France, the trial surrounding rape victim Gisèle Pelicot is entering its final phase. “I want them to stop feeling ashamed. It is not us who should be ashamed, but them,” Pelicot said, addressing battered women. She was raped approximately 200 times by more than 50 men, including her then husband.
The actions shocked France: Dominique Pelicot (72) is said to have drugged and abused his then wife for almost ten years. While she was unconscious, he also had Gisèle Pelicot raped by strange men he met through an online platform. Hundreds of photos and videos testify to the crimes. The men were between 21 and 68 years old at the time of the crime. Fifty of them have already been brought to justice, but lead investigator Gwenola Journot believes there were still ten to twenty perpetrators who could not be identified.
The suspects pretended to be ignorant
Some defendants were embarrassed in court, but the statements appear to be excuses. One man stated that he had pretended to penetrate his unconscious wife just for his husband’s pleasure. Another said he was afraid of Pelicot, whom he didn’t even know. One of them bowed his head and asked Gisèle Pelicot to apologize. “Too late, that’s too late,” she said and turned away.
Some claimed they did not understand that the woman was actually unconscious. They would have thought it was a game.
To encourage other abused women, Pelicot decided to hold the trial publicly in Avignon (see video above). “It helps a lot that this is not happening behind closed doors,” confirmed a 36-year-old mother from the Paris area who had traveled south specifically to attend the procedure. She herself has suffered sexual violence.
Gisèle Pelicot spoke in court about ‘barbarism’ and ‘horror scenes’. The police officers who searched her husband’s computer saved her life. The pensioner was arrested in September 2020 for filming under the skirts of supermarket customers. This brought to light the years of severe abuse suffered by his then wife.
She herself did not notice the crimes because of the strong medications her husband gave her. She had visited several doctors for various complaints, but they found nothing.
Will the law be tightened?
The case has reignited discussions about the definition of sexual violence. Activists have long been demanding that explicit consent must be given for sexual acts and that this must also be included in criminal law. The French National Assembly is now considering a proposal to change the law. Then suspected perpetrators would not be able to apologize in court by saying that they were not aware of the lack of consent.
People around the court are demanding the maximum sentence of twenty years in prison for the suspects.
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
