Gisèle Pelicot, who endured years of abuse by multiple men after being drugged by her former spouse, testified in a French court that she never agreed to any acts committed against her while unconscious and emphasized that victims should never carry shame for what was forced upon them.
Speaking during the appeal hearing of a man convicted of assaulting her, she stated: “The damage is done—I must rebuild from what remains, and I believe I’m moving forward. But to others, I say that I have no regrets about my choices, from reporting the crimes until now. No victim should feel ashamed. They are never at fault.”
Pelicot, 72, gained widespread recognition after revealing her identity during last year’s trial involving 51 defendants. Her ex-husband, Dominique Pelicot, among the most notorious offenders in recent French legal history, was found guilty of administering sedatives in her meals and facilitating assaults by strangers while she was incapacitated in their home in Mazan, Provence, between 2011 and 2020.
The other defendants were also convicted. One, Husamettin Dogan, 44, sentenced to nine years in prison, has contested his conviction. His appeal is being heard in Nîmes.
During Wednesday’s hearing, footage was presented showing Dogan engaging in acts with Pelicot while she was unconscious. The presiding judge noted she could have suffocated. In the recordings, Dogan appeared to smile.
Despite Pelicot’s evident unresponsiveness, Dogan insisted the footage depicted consensual encounters and denied wrongdoing. “It was a mutual act, not an assault,” he claimed, adding, “I never forced anyone.”
Pelicot responded: “This was not mutual—it was violence, unprotected and without agreement.” She said the recordings, which she avoided viewing, remain seared into her memory. “I’m trying to recover, but these images persist.”
She stated she had never encountered Dogan before and never permitted his actions. “How can he still refuse to admit what he did? A year has passed. He should have faced the truth by now.”
Noting his apparent focus during the playback, she told him directly: “You still don’t understand. When will you admit you attacked me? Harming someone who cannot defend themselves is a crime. I never once agreed. Never.”
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