Gisèle Pelicot condemns rape accused and says French society must change

She has waived her right to anonymity so the entire trial can be heard in public.

British Broadcasting CorporationWatchHomeNewsSportBusinessInnovationCultureArtsTravelEarthVideoLiveHomeNewsIsrael-Gaza WarWar in UkraineUS ElectionUS & CanadaUKUK PoliticsEnglandN. IrelandN. Ireland PoliticsScotlandScotland PoliticsWalesWales PoliticsAfricaAsiaChinaIndiaAustraliaEuropeLatin AmericaMiddle EastIn PicturesBBC InDepthBBC VerifySportBusinessExecutive LoungeTechnology of BusinessFuture of BusinessInnovationTechnologyScience & HealthArtificial IntelligenceAI v the MindCultureFilm & TVMusicArt & DesignStyleBooksEntertainment NewsArtsArts in MotionTravelDestinationsAfricaAntarcticaAsiaAustralia and PacificCaribbean & BermudaCentral AmericaEuropeMiddle EastNorth AmericaSouth AmericaWorld’s TableCulture & ExperiencesAdventuresThe SpeciaListEarthNatural WondersWeather & ScienceClimate SolutionsSustainable BusinessGreen LivingVideoLiveLive NewsLive SportHomeNewsSportBusinessInnovationCultureArtsTravelEarthVideoLiveAudioWeatherNewslettersGisèle Pelicot condemns rape accused and says French society must changeReutersGisèle Pelicot faced combative questions from defence lawyers on her final day of evidenceGisèle Pelicot has denounced the mass rape case of 51 men as a "trial of cowardice", and said it is high time that France's "macho, patriarchal society" which "trivialises rape" changes.

Her ex-husband, Dominique Pelicot, has admitted recruiting dozens of men online to rape her while she was drugged and unconscious over the course of almost a decade at their home in Mazan.

During a dramatic day in court there was uproar when a defence lawyer accused her of still being under her ex-husband's control and of being unable to condemn him fully.

Ms Pelicot has attended the mass rape trial from its start in September. She has waived her right to anonymity so the entire trial can be heard in court in Avignon in the full glare of publicity.

The case has not just shocked France, it has attracted interest from around the world. It has highlighted the issue of drug-induced sexual assault and raised questions about whether consent should become part of the French definition of rape.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c1lg2593l8lo

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