The first day Gisèle Pelicot walked up the steps of the courthouse in Avignon in September 2024, she was an anonymous retired grandmother. Within weeks, this diminutive 72-year-old became the victim at the centre of France's largest rape trial, involving 51 men, including her husband, and transformed into a feminist icon.
With the verdicts handed down in December declaring all guilty, Pelicot was last seen in a supportive crowd that chanted her name. Now, Gisèle returns to court in Nîmes as one of her rapists, Husamettin Dogan, launches an appeal against his nine-year sentence for aggravated rape.
Gisèle's tragic story spread globally, exposing her decade-long ordeal of being drugged and raped by multiple men. Her husband photographed the assaults and compiled a detailed record that allowed authorities to identify many of the perpetrators, although a significant number remain unaccounted for.
The prior trial concluded with 46 men found guilty and her husband receiving a maximum sentence of 20 years. During this retrial, video evidence will be presented again, and Gisèle will attend not as a victim but as a witness, showcasing her commitment to advocate for others.
Following last year's proceedings, in which Dogan's defense claimed a lack of awareness while committing the crime, Gisèle countered, arguing he understood her drug-induced state. As the appeal unfolds over the next four days, the sentiment surrounding her case may shift the jury's perspective on consent and societal issues.
Despite newfound fame, including accolades like Time's 100 most influential people and the French Legion d'Honneur, Gisèle's personal life took a toll, leading to a fracture within her once-close family. The tension stems from her daughter Caroline's tragic experiences and accusations of her father, pushing the siblings apart in the aftermath of the trial.
This upcoming court session represents a crucial moment as Gisèle aims to ensure justice prevails while dealing with the ramifications of exposing a deeply entrenched web of violence and their family disintegration.
