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Sole Appellant in Pelicot Rape Case Faces Retrial in Nîmes as Gisèle Pelicot Returns to Court

The hearing centers on whether his claimed lack of intent negates guilt under French law.

French woman Gisele Pelicot, the victim of a mass rape orchestrated by her then-husband Dominique Pelicot at their home in the southern French town of Mazan, and his son Florian are seen in the courtroom before the start of the appeal hearing filed by Husamettin D., one of the 51 people convicted in her rape trial, at the courthouse in Nimes, France, October 6, 2025. REUTERS/Alexandre Dimou
French woman Gisele Pelicot, the victim of a mass rape orchestrated by her then-husband Dominique Pelicot at their home in the southern French town of Mazan, is surrounded by French police as she arrives to attend the first day of the appeal hearing filed by one of the 51 people convicted in her rape trial, at the courthouse in Nimes, France, October 6, 2025. REUTERS/Alexandre Dimou
Artists have honoured rape survivor Gisele Pelicot with portraits and murals featuring her trademark brown bob and round sunglasses
Husamettin Dogan visited the Pelicot family home once in June 2019

Overview

  • Husamettin Dogan, 44, the only one of 51 convicted men to maintain an appeal, is being retried before a jury in Nîmes in a short hearing scheduled for up to four days.
  • Dogan challenges his nine-year sentence for aggravated rape, arguing he was deceived into believing consent and seeking to contest both his criminal responsibility and punishment.
  • Gisèle Pelicot attended the session, and her ex-husband Dominique Pelicot is expected to testify as a witness after receiving 20 years for drugging her and arranging assaults he filmed.
  • Sixteen of the 17 initial appeals were withdrawn, leaving Dogan alone to contest his verdict while his sentence is stayed pending the outcome and other convictions remain in force.
  • Civil proceedings to determine damages are slated for November in Avignon, as parliamentary debate continues on inserting an explicit consent-based definition of rape into French law.