More than a dozen men convicted of rape Gisèle Pelicot plans to appeal their conviction, but her ex-husband, the mastermind behind his abusewill not be part of it, his lawyer confirmed.
Speaking to France Info, lawyer Béatrice Zavarro said that Dominique Pélicot wanted to spare his ex-wife the painful ordeal of another trialbut also admitted that it was possible that a retrial by a public jury could result in a longer prison sentence.
Of the 50 accused of rape, only one was acquitted but found guilty of aggravated sexual assault. Another man was also convicted of the sexual assault charge for which he had been tried, meaning all 51 defendants were guilty either way.
Seventeen men plan to appealaccording to French media.
The court sentenced Dominique Pelicot to 20 years in prison for drugging and raping Gisèle Pelicot and allowing other men to rape her while she was unconscious.
This courtroom sketch by Valentin Pasquier shows Gisèle Pelicot, left, and her ex-husband Dominique Pelicot, right, during her trial, at the Avignon courthouse, in Avignon, southern France , Tuesday September 17, 2024.
Valentin Pasquier / Associated Press
During the trial, Dominique Pelicot admitted that for nearly a decade, he drugged his wife without her knowledge by eating, drinking and invited dozens of men to rape her when she could not consent. Gisèle Pelicot testified that she had no memory of the events and had spent years wondering why she was often so tired.
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The trial moved France and raised new awareness about sexual violence. Gisèle Pelicot waived her right to anonymity as a survivor of sexual abuse and successfully lobbied for hearings and shocking evidence – including homemade videos of her ex-husband’s rapes – to be heard in open court, insisting that the shame should fall on her attackers, not her.
In turn, she was applauded by the audience and become an icon against sexual violence.
Demonstration of support for Gisèle Pélicot and all rape victims on September 14, 2024.
Alain Apaydin / ABACA Press
Those sentenced are aged 26 to 74. Many of them deny having raped Gisèle Pelicot, claiming that her husband at the time manipulated them or that they thought she was consenting.
“We share the same fight,” she said in her message. first words after the court in Avignon, southern France, handed down prison sentences. She added that she was thinking of her grandchildren during the grueling trial, which lasted more than three months.
Gisèle Pélicot speaks to the press as she leaves the courtroom, at the courthouse in Avignon, southern France, Thursday December 19, 2024.
Lewis Joly / Associated Press
“It is also for them that I led this fight,” she declared at the time.
—with files from The Associated Press
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