With Guilty Verdicts, Victim’s Rape Ordeal in France Becomes a Message of Hope
The New York Times
Dozens of men who abused Gisèle Pelicot were convicted, including the man who invited them to do so: her husband of 50 years. She wanted the public trial to show rape victims they were not alone.
In a packed courtroom in Avignon, France, the head judge asked each of the dozens of men accused of raping Gisèle Pelicot — while she was near-comatose, and at the invitation of her husband of 50 years — to stand briefly. Then he pronounced their convictions swiftly, one after the other: all guilty.
By the time it was over, every one of the 51 accused men had been convicted, most of them for raping Ms. Pelicot in her own bedroom. Her husband, Dominique, 72, who had admitted to drugging her over nearly a decade to abuse her, was the only one to get the maximum sentence of 20 years.
The rest were given sentences mostly ranging from six to nine years.
And with that, the trial that has both horrified and captivated France for almost four months ended with a victory for the woman at its center, Ms. Pelicot, who became a feminist icon for her bravery in allowing the case to be tried publicly. That decision allowed the case to more fully expose the horrors of rape in a country where #MeToo hardly gained traction.
After it was over, she stepped out into a swarm of French and international reporters and hundreds of supporters eagerly awaiting her, who held up signs of appreciation and cheered when she emerged. There were so many of them that they stopped traffic on the road outside the courthouse. “Justice for Gisèle, justice for all,” one sign read. Another proclaimed, “All the women on Earth support you. Thank you Gisèle.”
As she has throughout the trial, Ms. Pelicot retained her trademark poise, giving a simple statement about her decision to allow the world to witness the painful details of her rapes, rather than keep them private as is allowed by French law. Her goal was to force discussions of rape, including those facilitated through the use of drugs.
