Gisèle Pelicot, the French woman who has waived her anonymity in the mass rape trial of her ex-husband, who is accused of drugging and raping her, and 50 other men, has taken the stand for the first time.
She told the court in Avignon she wants women who have been raped to know that “it’s not for us to have shame – it’s for them”.
“I want all women who have been raped to say: Madame Pelicot did it, I can too. I don’t want them to be ashamed any longer,” she said, referring to her request for an open trial and for the videos of the alleged rapes to be shown.
Gisèle, 72, was taking the stand following a request from her legal team that she be given the chance to respond to the evidence and testimony that have been shared so far at the trial.
She said that over the last few weeks she had witnessed various wives, mothers and sisters of the defendants take the stand and say that the accused were “exceptional men”.
“That’s just like who I had back home,” she added. “But a rapist is not just someone you meet in a dark car park late at night. He can also be found in the family, among friends.”
She said she is “completely destroyed” and will have to build herself back up again. “I don’t know if my whole life will be enough to understand,” she added.
Addressing her former husband as Mr Pelicot, Gisèle said: “I wish I could still call him Dominique. We lived together for 50 years, I was a happy, fulfilled woman.”
“You were a caring, attentive husband, and I never doubted you. We shared laughter and tears,” she added, her voice breaking.
Dominique has admitted to recruiting men online to rape his wife while she was under the effect of heavy sedatives and sleeping pills that he administered to her in secret for a decade.
Gisèle said that she used to feel lucky she had him by her side when she was suffering from health issues that were later revealed to be linked to the drugs he was giving her.
“I am trying to understand how this man, who to me was perfect, could have done this. How can he have betrayed me at this point? How could you let these strangers into my bedroom?
“I want to say to him: I’ve always tried to lift you higher, towards the light. You chose the darkest depths of human nature. You’re the one who made this choice.”
Most of the alleged rapes were filmed.
The majority of the defendants deny raping Gisèle, and argue that they cannot be guilty because they did not realise she was unconscious and therefore did not “know” they were raping her.
This article was originally published at www.bbc.com
