Tuesday, November 19, 2024, marked the final day of hearings in the Mazan rape trial before the opening of closing arguments. Gisèle Pélicot spoke, as did her ex-husband and main defendant, Dominique Pélicot.
It was her last opportunity to speak in court in this trial that has made her an icon in the fight against sexual violence and chemical subjugation worldwide. This Tuesday, November 19, 2024, Gisèle Pélicot spoke again before the Vaucluse Departmental Criminal Court, where 51 men are on trial for raping her in a state of unconsciousness, induced by the drugs administered to her by her husband, Dominique Pélicot, without her knowledge. “For me, this is a trial of cowardice. It is high time that the macho and patriarchal society, which trivializes rape, changes. It is time we change the way we look at rape,” the septuagenarian insisted at the Avignon court, where hundreds of anonymous people and journalists are following the trial every day. “I have seen individuals who deny rape appear before the court,” she continued, referring to the defense of the overwhelming majority of the accused, who claim not to have had the “intention” of abusing her.
“We will remember Mrs. Pélicot, much less Mr. Pélicot”
“I have a lot of trouble with this banality. I want to say to these men: at what point, when you entered this room, did Mrs. Pélicot give you consent? At what point, faced with this inert body, did you become conscious? At what point are you not going to report it to the police?” added Gisèle Pélicot, according to comments reported by our colleagues at Le Monde and France Info. She also wanted to point out – contrary to what some defense lawyers have suggested, who believe that she is still under the “influence” of Dominique Pélicot – that she in no way excuses the actions of her now ex-husband. “People think that I forgive Mr. Pélicot. I haven’t forgiven anything,” added the septuagenarian. Despite this, and although she now regrets being “known throughout the world, regardless of [her] wishes,” the plaintiff nevertheless insists on keeping the surname she took from Dominique Pélicot: “We will remember Madame Pélicot, much less Monsieur Pélicot. I want my grandchildren not to be ashamed of bearing this name. We will remember the grandmother, Gisèle Pélicot.”
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