In Avignon, the hearings of the 51 accused in the Pelicot trial end. They appear for having raped Gisèle Pelicot while she was drugged without her knowledge by her husband. Only seven men remain to be heard between Friday November 15 and the following Monday.
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With our correspondent in Avignon, Tanita Fallet
Ten weeks during which 43 accused were heard. Their personalities scrutinized and for the majority, “ they did not commit rape “. They do not dispute the materiality of the facts in the face of dozens of videos of the acts. They reject the intention.
Most say they were manipulated by Dominique Pelicot, unaware of the victim’s state of chemical submission. But was she, according to them, able to give her consent, the president systematically questioned. The answer is almost unanimous on the side of the accused: no.
Also read“A great manipulator”: at the Mazan rape trial, the profile of Dominique Pelicot in question
Change society’s view of rape
And yet, they refuse to reflect the image of “ rapist “. An image against which Gisèle Pelicot, who came to the stand twice, has continued to rebel, emphasizing her desire for profound change society’s view of rape. A message that she will repeat, if she wishes, one last time at the beginning of next week. She and her sons should be heard, after the interrogations of the last accused.
This is a chapter that is closing. The pleadings of the civil parties should follow first, the indictment then. And finally, the defense lawyers will take turns pleading for more than a month.
Also readAt the Mazan rape trial, the public supports Gisèle Pelicot and denounces rape culture
Call for a “start” against violence against women on November 23
More than 400 organizations and personalities, including Angèle, Judith Godrèche and Vanessa Springora, are calling for demonstrations against violence against women on November 23 in France to demand a “real start”, seven years after the start of the #metoo wave.
Demonstrations will be organized in dozens of cities, including Paris, Bordeaux, Marseille and Lille, two days before the international day to combat violence against women, according to an appeal relayed Thursday by the #Noustoutes collective and signed in particular by the Foundation Women and Family Planning. “ Since Emmanuel Macron came to power, we have already counted more than a thousand feminicides (…) and who is outraged? », write associations and personalities in this text. “ Successive governments have made numerous promises, but the means are paltry and decreasing, political action is almost non-existent. »
The Mazan trial confirmed » that the perpetrators of violence « are not monsters, they are men around us » and that this violence “ concerns everyone », underline the signatories.
The Secretary of State for Gender Equality Salima Saa promised at the beginning of November that she would announce “concrete and effective measures” on November 25, aiming among other things to “improve the mechanisms to reach out to” victims in particular in rural areas, strengthen “the reception and care of victims” via “training of front-line actors”.