Society must “change its view of rape”, pleads Gisèle Pelicot at the Mazan rape trial

Photo: Christophe Simon Agence France-Presse Since the beginning of the trial, few of the accused have offered real apologies to Gisèle Pelicot, even after being confronted with videos of their actions.

David Courbet – Agence France-Presse in Avignon

Posted at 8:12 a.m.

• Europe

“It is time that we change our view of rape,” argued Gisèle Pelicot on Tuesday, for whom the trial in France of her husband and dozens of men accused of raping her for ten years will remain that of a “macho and patriarchal society that trivializes” sexual assault.

“For me, this trial will be the trial of cowardice,” repeated the main victim of this extraordinary case three times, facing her now ex-husband, Dominique Pelicot, head bowed in the dock. He admitted to having handed her over for a decade to strangers he recruited on the Internet, after having knocked her out with anxiolytics.

“Since the beginning of this trial, I have heard a lot of things, it was inaudible…”, she continued: “I have seen individuals who deny rape parade before the bar”, for the most part, and “I have a lot of trouble with this banality”.

“I want to say to these men: at what point when you enter this room did Mrs. Pelicot give you consent? At what point, faced with this inert body, do you become aware?”

“I heard: “I was remote-controlled”, I heard: “I drank a glass of water, I was drugged”. But at what point did they not realize ?”, protested the septuagenarian, who has become a feminist icon since the start of this lengthy trial on September 2, before the criminal court of Vaucluse in Avignon.

“There are few who take responsibility for their actions. They raped! I hear this man saying 'a finger is not rape'. Let him think about it!” she snapped.

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The last of the 51 accused to appear in court Tuesday morning, just before Ms. Pelicot took the stand, Philippe L., 62, had adopted the same line of defense, explaining that he was “under the orders” of Dominique Pelicot, a “demon,” and that he believed he was participating in the scenario of a libertine couple where the woman pretended to be asleep.

“I don't think anymore”

“I don't think anymore. […] I don't know that I'm doing something unhealthy. I'll find out later,” explained this single man who makes a living from gardening. “I don't know that I'm dealing with a demon, an evil being. It's only after…”, he tried to justify himself, pointing to Dominique Pelicot.

Prosecuted for “aggravated rape”, he faces, like most of the 51 accused, 20 years of criminal imprisonment.

Questioned by several defense lawyers, Mrs. Pelicot once again firmly defended herself against having been “under the influence” or “manipulated” by her husband during their 50 years together: “Absolutely nothing tipped me off!” ” she repeated.

“Mr. Pelicot had a lot of fantasies, all of which I couldn't fulfill with him. […] Since I didn't want to go to a swingers club, he thought he had found a way to solve the problem by putting me to sleep! I lost 10 years of my life that I will never get back. Never! This scar will never heal!” “, she blurted out, barely containing her anger.

With the questioning of Philippe L. on Tuesday, this trial known as the “Mazan rapes”, emblematic of sexual violence and chemical submission, has now finished examining the cases of 51 men, aged 26 to 74.

Ten had returned several times, at the invitation of Dominique Pelicot, up to six times for some.

Few of these accused have offered real apologies to Gisèle Pelicot, even after being confronted with videos of their acts, shown in court, astonishing images where their victim appears totally inert.

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Unanimously described as “the conductor” in this case, Dominique Pelicot, 71, was the first to testify, in early September, without really explaining the reasons for this drift that had accelerated over the years, with some 200 rapes in total, half by himself.

He is expected to speak for the last time about the facts on Tuesday afternoon.

The trial will then enter its final phase from Wednesday, with the start of the civil parties' arguments, before probably being suspended until Monday to allow the prosecution to prepare its submissions, which would last three days.

Then the defense's arguments will begin, for three weeks.

Then the five professional magistrates of the court will have one week left to deliberate, with a verdict expected on December 20 at the latest.