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Mazan Rape Trials: Dominique Pelicot Sentenced to 20 Years in Prison

undefined undefined 19 décembre 2024 undefined 16h00

undefined undefined 19 décembre 2024 undefined 17h31

The Editor

© Shutterstock - Obatala-photography

It's the final chapter of a historic trial for French justice. The criminal court of Vaucluse delivered its verdict on Thursday, December 19, regarding the 51 men, including Dominique Pelicot, accused of raping Gisèle Pelicot. The husband of the victim is found guilty of all the charges and is sentenced to the maximum penalty. 

Dominique Pelicot will spend the rest of his life in prison. After three and a half months of trial, the president of the criminal court in Vaucluse announced on Thursday, December 19, the maximum sentence against the husband of Gisèle Pelicot, accused of having raped her and forced her to be raped for a decade by around fifty men aged between 27 and 74 at their home in Mazan. The 72-year-old retiree has been sentenced to twenty years of criminal detention, in line with the prosecution's demands. 


All the Condemned Defendants

Among the fifty other men accused, no acquittals were handed down: all received prison sentences ranging from 3 to 15 years, including 2 with suspended sentences. The requests had actually called for 10 to 18 years of imprisonment for the 49 defendants charged with aggravated assaults, and 4 years for the last one, who was "only" charged with inappropriate touching against Gisèle Pelicot; these sentences were deemed severe and disproportionate by the defense. "The children are disappointed by these low sentences," a family member of Gisèle and Dominique Pelicot told AFP. 


« I respect the court's decision » 

After the announcement of the verdict, Gisèle Pelicot emerged from the Avignon courthouse to the cheers of a crowd of citizens, feminist collectives, and politicians – including deputies Sandrine Rousseau and Raphaël Arnault, who came to support her. « It is with a deep emotion that I speak to you today; this trial was a very difficult ordeal. » In front of the press, the septuagenarian delivered a poignant speech in which she explained her respect for « the court and the ...thedecision of the verdict » and never regretted opening the trial doors to the public. « I wanted […] the society to engage in the debates that took place there. I now have confidence in our ability to collectively seize a future where everyone, women and men alike, can live in harmony, with respect and mutual understanding. »


Gisèle Pelicot will remain a symbol 

By refusing to stay behind closed doors and allowing the videos of her assaults to be shared publicly, Gisèle Pelicot has become a feminist symbol. For more than three months, the trial attracted a large audience and highlighted the systemic nature of sexual violence, committed not by sociopathic predators but by individuals without pathology, fathers, brothers, firefighters, journalists, your everyday "Mr. Everybody". For her dignity, her courage, and her legacy, Gisèle Pelicot will be remembered as the one who finally changed the stigma of shame.