Dominique Pelicot was sentenced on Thursday in an Avignon court to the maximum sentence of 20 years in prison for aggravated rape. The verdict is not yet final. For almost a decade, Pelicot repeatedly drugged and raped his then-wife, Gisèle Pelicot. He also invited men online to reach out to her, and captured this in hundreds of photos and videos. 50 other alleged perpetrators were charged in the proceedings. Almost all of them were also convicted on Thursday of serious rape and, in some cases, given long prison sentences.
What Gisèle Pelicot must have gone through is unimaginable. Nevertheless, she has decided that this process should be public. Her name and face are now known far beyond France – she has become a feminist icon. On every day of the trial, people stood in front of the courthouse, greeted Gisèle Pelicot with applause and demonstrated for the rights of those affected by sexual violence.
The significance of the Pelicot case also goes far beyond this trial and case law: it has sparked a social debate. Kathrin Müller-Lance, SZ's France expert, talks about what consequences this could have in this episode of “On the Point”.
Further news: Bundestag protects Constitutional Court; impending shutdown in Washington.
For further reading and listening:
Here you can find the text about the trial in Avignon.
Click here for the latest episode of “The Topic” about the crisis at Bayer AG.
Moderation, editorial team: Nadja Schlüter
Editorial team: Ann-Marlen Hoolt, Lars Langenau
Production: Imanuel Pedersen
Quoted and additional audio via Reuters.
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