The case briefly summarized 72-year-old Gisèle has been subjected to mass rape orchestrated by her former husband for almost ten years. He and 50 other men have been identified and prosecuted for the rapes, while around 30 assailants are still unidentified. The main defendant and several co-defendants have admitted criminal guilt, while several others have not. Gisèle has chosen for the trial to take place in full public view, and says that this way she wants to shift the shame away from herself and onto the abusers. The case has breathed new life into the debate about consent laws in France. Activists believe the case marks a shift in how France thinks and talks about rape and abuse victims. In the tiny village of Mazan in the south of France, we find vineyards, churches and around 6,000 permanent residents. And the biggest rape case in France in several decades. The whole country is shocked by the story of 72-year-old Gisèle, who has been subjected to mass rape orchestrated by her former husband, Dominique Pelicot, for almost ten years. Mazan is a small village in Provence in the south of France. The residents say that the case that has unfolded here has changed the atmosphere in the village. Photo: Manon Cruz / Reuters In the trial, which runs from now until December, Dominique has admitted to drugging his wife into a “deep coma” by mixing strong sedatives in her food and wine, so that filming while men he recruited online raped her. Dominique and 50 other men aged 26 to 74 have been identified and charged. In addition, around 30 rapists are unidentified. – “Everyone” goes and wonders if their husband, brother, father or son could be one of the last 30. It’s a small place. I get several messages from women asking if I have seen their husband’s name appear, says activist Blandine Deverlanges. Blandine Deverlanges (in the middle) is part of the organization Les Amazones d’Avignon (the Amazons from Avignon). They paint messages to Gisèle around the cityscape. Here one of them performs, where it says “They said she was ruined, but she is a warrior. Gisele”. Photo: Les Amazones d’Avignon He has followed the case since the beginning. Now she is in the courtroom almost every day to catch up on what is happening and show support for Gisèle. The mayor of Mazan, Louis Bonnet, did not seem as shaken when he was interviewed by the BBC earlier in September. – It is very serious when children are involved, or when women are killed, because then there is no way back. But in this case, the family can still be reunited. It will be difficult, but everyone is still alive, so they can make it happen, he said. Last week he apologized for the comment. Gisèle in court on September 16, while watching the trial against her former husband, Dominique Pelicot. Photo: CHRISTOPHE SIMON / AFP Considers that women do not report to the police Gisèle has chosen for the trial to take place in full public view. – The defenders want a closed trial, so I choose to oppose it, so that the shame changes sides, she said, writes Le Monde. Now she is adored by women all over the country. Her name is written in capital letters on walls and buildings, thousands of women march in support, and many share grateful posts on social media. On a wall in Gentilly, south of Paris, someone has painted Gisèle’s face and the words “So that shame shifts sides”. Photo: GEOFFROY VAN DER HASSELT / AFP Gisèle herself has said that she has felt ridiculed since the trial started, writes France 24. – Sometimes it feels like I am the one to blame in the case. I understand well that so many women hesitate to report rape to the police, she said in the courtroom last week. “Rape is not always rape” The main accused, Dominique Pelicot, and several of the co-accused have admitted criminal guilt. At the same time, several people say that they cannot be punished, because they must have believed that Gisèle had agreed to be drugged, that she only pretended to be asleep, or that she managed to get consent from her husband. During the trial, intimate pictures of Gisèle have been shown which Dominique admits to having taken while she was drugged, and shared on the website where he recruited local men to rape her, write France 24. – Can you understand that men who see these pictures think that you want sex, than if you are dope? one defender asked her. – Don’t you have “tendencies” that you are ashamed of? asked another, hinting that Gisèle should have joined the game and agreed to be drugged. – I’m not even going to answer that question, said a furious Gisèle. Several women show up in the courtroom in Avignon to show support for Gisèle. Here is Gisèle on her way into the local on 17 September, and thanks those who have turned up. Photo: CHRISTOPHE SIMON / AFP Guillaume de Palma, the defender of six of the defendants, said according to Le Parisien’s coverage of the courtroom that “rape is not always rape”: – Without the intention to rape, it is not rape, he said, and showed that only sexual acts that occur through coercion, threats, violence or shock are considered rape in French law. The daughter of Gisèle and Dominique, Caroline Darian, reportedly stormed out of the courtroom while saying she was “ashamed of the justice system”, writes the BBC. Gisèle rejected the defense attempt: – If you see a woman lying fast asleep in her bed, don’t you at some point think: “Isn’t there something wrong with her?”. Rape is rape. De Palma’s comment has breathed new life into the debate on consent law in France. Outgoing Minister for Equality Aurore Bergé wrote on X that the argument “proves” that the criminal law around rape must be updated. Unique and ordinary at the same time – I believe and hope this will open many eyes to how victims of abuse are often mistrusted by the system, says Elsa Labouret. Elsa Labouret is spokesperson for the organization Osez le Féminisme. Photo: Osez le Féminisme / Osez le Féminisme She works for Osez le Féminisme (“Vague Feminism”), an organization whose aim is to overcome sexual violence and harassment in France. – The case is absurd and certainly the biggest in several decades here in France. Nevertheless, we should be careful not to think of this only as something extraordinary, she says. Several elements, such as the fact that the abuse was primarily carried out by a bereaved spouse, and that the other abusers have different backgrounds, different ages and different professions, make the case “unique and ordinary at the same time”, Labouret believes. Béatrice Zavarro, the lawyer for Dominique Pelicot, on her way into the courtroom. The case has received enormous press attention. Photo: CHRISTOPHE SIMON / AFP In addition, she highlights what she calls “chemical abuse”: – In the case of abuse between partners, it is not unusual for the abuser to systematically trick the victim with drugs that make them lethargic or drugged, so that they do not notice the abuse, explains ho. Gisèle gradually lost her memory due to the strong drugs that Dominique mixed into her food, and struggled with several problems in her abdomen. Caroline Darian, the daughter of Gisèle and Dominique, together with her brothers David and Favian in the courtroom in Avignon. Darian has started an association to spread knowledge about chemical abuse. Photo: CHRISTOPHE SIMON / AFP Korkje herself or her doctor understood the connection, her lawyers have said. – This case illustrates that there is a lack of knowledge about typical abuse strategies, both in the health and justice system, says Labouret. Marks a shift Labor believes that the case against Dominique Pelicot and his 51 co-accused marks a shift in how France thinks and talks about rape and abuse victims. Deverlanges also hopes for change: – I’m so tired of seeing police reports being shelved, or cases dropped due to a lack of evidence. Here we have videos of 92 rapes. If these men do not end up in prison, I will personally lead a revolution. We have a podcast for those of you who like in-depth foreign material! Listen to the last episode of Urix: Published 29.09.2024, at 14.16
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Gisèle confronts her 51 abusers in full public view – news Urix – Foreign news and documentaries
