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5mo ago

Historic French Rape Trial Concludes with Gisele Pelicot’s Powerful Final Testimony

Gisele Pelicot confronts 51 accused men and her ex-husband in a case exposing systemic failures in addressing sexual violence in France.

Dominique Pelicot is among the 51 men charged with the rape, attempted rape or sexual assault of his wife, Gisèle Pelicot. He has admitted drugging her before inviting strangers to abuse her
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Frenchwoman Gisèle Pelicot, the victim of an alleged mass rape orchestrated by her husband Dominique Pelicot at their home in the southern French town of Mazan, leaves during a break in the trial of Dominique Pelicot with 50 co-accused, at the courthouse in Avignon, France, November 19, 2024

Overview

  • Gisele Pelicot, drugged and raped over nearly a decade by her ex-husband and 51 other men, delivered a final statement in France’s largest-ever rape trial.
  • Pelicot's ex-husband, Dominique Pelicot, admitted to orchestrating the assaults, recruiting men online, and filming the crimes, which involved at least 200 documented rapes.
  • Only 15 of the 51 accused have pleaded guilty, with many claiming ignorance of the crimes despite video evidence showing Pelicot unconscious during the assaults.
  • The trial has sparked national conversations about France's legal framework for defining and prosecuting rape, with calls for reforms to include explicit consent in its legal definition.
  • Pelicot’s bravery in making the trial public has galvanized feminist movements, with her phrase 'shame must change sides' becoming a rallying cry against patriarchal attitudes toward sexual violence.