French President thanks Gisèle Pelicot for courage and dignity in mass rape trial
French President Emmanuel Macron has honored Gisèle Pelicot for her resilience during the mass rape trial involving her ex-husband and 50 other men.
Calling her a trailblazer for women, Macron praised her “dignity and courage,” stating that her actions inspired both France and the world.
Dominique Pelicot, 72, received the maximum 20-year prison sentence for aggravated rape after admitting to drugging Gisèle over nearly a decade and facilitating her assault by dozens of men while she was unconscious.
Following the trial, Gisèle described the experience as harrowing but expressed hope for a future where women and men could “coexist in harmony with respect and mutual understanding.”
Gisèle’s decision to waive her anonymity and open the trial to public scrutiny highlighted the issues of rape and drug-induced sexual assault on a global scale.
A court in Avignon found all 51 defendants, aged 27 to 74, guilty. However, Gisèle’s lawyer remarked that no sentence could restore her “devastated life.”
Her three children expressed disappointment over the relatively lenient sentences given to many defendants, ranging from three to 15 years, instead of the maximum 18 years sought by prosecutors.
Forty-one of the convicted men were immediately imprisoned, although many are expected to appeal their sentences.
Dominique Pelicot’s lawyer stated that he was “stunned” by the 20-year sentence and is considering an appeal. Judges ruled that he must serve at least two-thirds of the term before becoming eligible for parole.
Throughout the trial, anti-sexual violence advocates gathered outside the court, expressing hope that the case will prompt reform of France’s rape laws and further conversations on rape culture and drug-facilitated sexual assault.
“Shame changes sides” has become one of the slogans of the case and, in an indication of the importance of the trial, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz thanked Gisèle Pelicot for giving women around the world “a strong voice”.
“The shame always lies with the perpetrator,” Scholz added.
One of her lawyers, Antoine Camus, told France Info radio on Friday that the trial would serve as a “building block” and that by making the proceedings public Gisèle Pelicot had sought to enable society to “get to grips with [the issues] and ask the right questions”.
The president of France’s National Assembly, Yaël Braun Pivet, said a taboo had been broken: “The world is no longer the same thanks to you.”
French ex-prime minister Gabriel Attal hoped that the mass rape trial would send a “shock wave” through the education of every young boy – “because this is where the fight for equality and respect begins”.