AVIGNON, France — On Thursday, a five-judge panel in France is delivering verdicts for over 40 men charged with aggravated rape and sexual assault against Gisèle Pelicot. This landmark case has significantly impacted the nation over the past few months.
Among the accused is Dominique Pelicot, the 72-year-old ex-husband of the victim. He admitted to drugging his wife of 50 years for years, enabling himself and others he recruited online to assault her while filming the acts.
Gisèle Pelicot’s ordeal, spanning almost a decade within what she believed to be a loving marriage, and her bravery throughout the challenging trial have made her a national feminist icon. The retired power company employee’s strength has become a symbol of resilience.
The trial, lasting over three months, energized advocates against sexual violence and fueled calls for stricter measures to combat rape culture.
Dominique Pelicot and 49 other men faced trial in Avignon for aggravated rape and attempted rape, facing potential 20-year sentences if convicted.
Prosecutors sought the maximum sentence for Dominique Pelicot and 10 to 18-year sentences for the others. A four-year sentence was requested for another defendant charged with aggravated sexual assault.
All 51 men were implicated in Dominique Pelicot’s abusive schemes, enacted in their retirement home in Mazan and other locations.
Dominique Pelicot testified to secretly adding tranquilizers to his wife’s food and drink, rendering her unconscious for hours while he carried out his actions.
One defendant faced charges not only for assaulting Gisèle Pelicot but also for drugging and raping his own wife—with assistance and drugs provided by Dominique Pelicot, who was also on trial for raping this other man’s wife.
The five judges cast secret ballots, requiring a majority vote for conviction and sentencing.
Sexual violence campaigners hope for substantial sentences, viewing the trial as a potential turning point in the fight against rape culture and the use of drugs to incapacitate victims.
Gisèle Pelicot’s decision to forgo anonymity as a sexual abuse survivor and to ensure open court proceedings, including the presentation of shocking evidence like videos, has sparked national conversations in France and within families and social groups about protecting women and men’s roles in achieving this goal.
“Men are starting to talk to women—their girlfriends, mothers and friends—in ways they hadn’t before,” said Fanny Foures, 48, who, alongside other women from the feminist group Les Amazones, displayed supportive messages for Gisèle Pelicot around Avignon before the verdict.
“It was awkward at first, but now real dialogues are happening,” she said.
“Some women are realizing, maybe for the first time, that their ex-husbands violated them, or that someone close to them committed abuse,” Foures added. “And men are starting to reckon with their own behavior or complicity—things they’ve ignored or failed to act on. It’s heavy, but it’s creating change.”
A large banner near the courthouse read, “MERCI GISELE”—thank you Gisèle.
Dominique Pelicot first came under police scrutiny in September 2020, when a supermarket security guard observed him secretly filming women’s skirts.
Police subsequently discovered a vast collection of images documenting years of abuse against his wife—over 20,000 photos and videos, meticulously organized into folders titled “abuse,” “her rapists,” “night alone,” and others.
This substantial evidence led to the identification of other defendants. Investigators identified 72 distinct abusers in the videos, though not all could be identified.
While some accused, including Dominique Pelicot, admitted guilt, many others denied the charges despite video evidence. The hearings spurred broader discussions in France about potentially expanding the legal definition of rape to explicitly include consent.
Some defendants argued that Dominique Pelicot’s consent extended to his wife. Others attempted to justify their actions by claiming they didn’t intend to rape anyone when responding to the husband’s invitations. Some blamed Dominique Pelicot, alleging he misled them into believing their participation was consensual BDSM.
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