French survivor Gisèle Pelicot prepares to address the court, determined to expose the horrors of a nine-year ordeal involving 50 men, including her ex-husband.
Gisèle Pelicot, a 72-year-old French woman whose public fight for justice has made her a symbol of resilience, will take the stand on Wednesday to comment on the ongoing rape trial involving her ex-husband, Dominique Pelicot, and 50 other men. Over the course of nine years, her husband drugged and arranged for men to repeatedly assault her without her knowledge, turning her ordeal into one of France’s most shocking sexual abuse cases.
Gisèle was unaware for years that her then-husband, Dominique Pelicot, had been crushing sedatives and anti-anxiety drugs into her food, leaving her in a comatose state. From 2011 to 2020, in their home in Mazan, Provence, he orchestrated a series of rapes by inviting dozens of men, whom he met through an online forum called “without her knowledge,” to assault her while she was unconscious in bed.
Dominique, now 71, has admitted to the charges, confessing that he organized the attacks and drugged Gisèle without her knowledge. In court, he openly acknowledged his guilt, stating, “I am a rapist, like the others in this room,” adding that the other men were fully aware of their actions. These men, spanning various professions, including a nurse, a soldier, a journalist, and a local councillor, are now facing trial alongside him. They face charges that could lead to sentences of up to 20 years in prison.
Gisèle Pelicot, who had no idea what was happening to her during the decade-long abuse, has been clear in her testimony: “I never, even for a single second, gave my consent to Mr. Pelicot or those other men,” she told the court, describing herself as “sacrificed on the altar of vice.” Police unearthed video evidence of the assaults after Dominique was arrested in 2020 for a separate crime—filming women without their consent in a supermarket. It was from these meticulously labeled videos that the identities of 50 men were uncovered.
Throughout the trial, most of the accused men have denied the charges, with some claiming they believed Gisèle was either pretending to be asleep or playing along with her husband’s disturbing plan. Others argued that because Dominique, her husband at the time, had given his consent, they thought that was sufficient.
Gisèle has expressed the emotional toll the trial has taken on her, particularly in the face of defense lawyers’ attempts to downplay the men’s actions. She has been subjected to accusations of complicity and drunkenness, all of which she vehemently denies. “I have felt humiliated in this courtroom. I’ve been accused of being an alcoholic, of conspiring with Mr. Pelicot. My life was destroyed for 10 years,” she said in an earlier testimony. She added that the video evidence clearly shows her unconscious state, making any notion of consent impossible.
As the trial approaches its halfway point, Gisèle will address the court again, reflecting on the evidence presented so far. Her lawyer, Antoine Camus, has explained that she insisted on a public trial to bring attention to the use of drugs in sexual assault, stating, “She refused a closed-door trial because that’s what her attackers would have wanted.”
The case has drawn widespread attention across France, with thousands rallying in support of Gisèle, demanding justice for her and others who have endured similar violence. The trial is set to continue until December 20, with the outcome closely watched by advocates and citizens alike.
For Gisèle Pelicot, this public battle is not just about seeking justice for herself but also about raising awareness and sparking change around the use of drugs in sexual violence.
(Associated Medias) – All rights reserved