France Gisèle Pelicot: Hope that trial will change society
Following the verdicts in the Avignon abuse trial, Gisèle Pelicot has expressed the hope that the trial will change society.
19.12.2024, 14:56
SDA
"Today I have confidence in our ability to build a future together in which everyone, women and men, can live in harmony, with respect and mutual understanding," said Pelicot at the end of the trial in court. She hoped that society would be able to take up the debates that took place during the trial.
"Finally, I think of the unrecognized victims whose stories often remain in the dark. I want them to know that we share the same struggle," Pelicot said. When asked if she was satisfied with the sentences handed down, Pelicot said she respected the punishments.
She said she never regretted the decision to take the trial public. "The trial was a very difficult ordeal," she also said. She had also fought this battle for her children. "It really makes me think about my grandchildren."
Pelicot's ex-husband, the main defendant, had been sentenced to 20 years in prison in Avignon for aggravated rape. Dominique Pelicot had repeatedly drugged his then wife Gisèle for almost ten years, abused her and had her raped by dozens of strangers. The court sentenced 50 co-defendants to prison terms of between 3 and 15 years.
