Overview

• Proceedings began Monday afternoon in Nîmes, where Gisèle Pelicot arrived to applause and asked that the video evidence be shown in open court.
• Husamettin Dogan, free for health reasons, told the court he never intended to rape, claims he did not know Pelicot was drugged, and says he believed he was at a consensual libertine encounter.
• The appeal is scheduled to run through Thursday, with a psychological profile of the defendant on Monday, testimony from Dominique Pelicot on Tuesday, and Gisèle expected to testify Wednesday.
• Dogan was sentenced in December to nine years for aggravated rape, the only one of 51 convicted men to maintain an appeal after others withdrew their challenges.
• The jury will reassess Dogan’s guilt and sentence in a case built on extensive photos, videos, and digital records documenting assaults arranged by Dominique Pelicot, who received a 20-year term.