51 men guilty of rape: How Gisele Pelicot trial sparked a mass movement
51 ‘Mr. Everymans’ were found guilty of rape. How Gisele Pelicot case sparked a movement.
The French rape trial that shocked the world and sparked widespread calls for justice for women rape victims ended on Thursday with the conviction of 51 men for raping and attempting to rape Gisele Pelicot, including her husband, who drugged and arranged the abuse for years.
Dominique Pelicot, her husband, was sentenced to 20 years in prison, while the other 50 men were sentenced to between three and 15 years. Two were found guilty of attempted rape and two of sexual assault, while the rest were found guilty of rape.
A crowd of demonstrators burst into applause and cheers outside the courtroom in Avignon, southern France, as the verdict was read aloud. For months, protesters swarmed the outside of the courtroom, cheering in support of Gisele Pelicot and the feminist motto her case sparked – “shame must change sides.”
“I am thinking about the unrecognized victims whose stories often remain in the shadows, I want you to know that we share the same battle,” she said in a statement after the verdict.
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