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French President Emmanuel Macron has paid tribute to Gisèle Pelicot for the strength she showed in the case of the rape of her husband and 50 other men.
Describing her as a women’s leader, he said “dignity and courage moved and inspired France and the whole world”.
Her ex-husband Dominique Pelicot, 72, has been jailed for 20 years for aggravated rape, after revealing he drugged her for nearly a decade and enlisted men to grope her unconscious in bed.
After the other 50 men were given smaller sentences, Gisèle Pelicot said that the case was very difficult, but she believed that in the future women and men “will live in mutual respect and harmony”.
It was her decision to remain anonymous and open the case to the public, which drew international attention to the problem of rape and drug trafficking.
A jury in Avignon in southern France found all 51 men aged between 27 and 74 guilty, but Gisèle Pelicot’s lawyer said on Friday “no sentence can restore her ruined life”.
His three children said they were upset that many of the sentences were shorter than what prosecutors had asked for. He served three to 15 years, instead of the 18 years prosecutors were seeking.
Reports say that 41 of these people have been detained at the same time. Most of those convicted can appeal against their sentence.
Dominique Pelicot’s lawyer said he was “a little surprised” by the 20-year prison sentence and would decide to appeal in the coming days. Judges said he must serve two-thirds of his sentence before he is eligible for parole.
Protesters of sexual abuse have stood outside the courtroom throughout and hope it will lead to changes in France’s rape laws and change the debate about the culture of rape and drug abuse.
“Shame changes sides” has become one of the slogans of the case and, underlining the importance of the case, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz thanked Gisèle Pelicot for giving women around the world “a strong voice”.
“Shame always belongs to the perpetrator,” Scholz said.
One of her lawyers, Antoine Camus, told France Info radio on Friday that the trial would be a “bond” and that by raising awareness of the matter Gisèle Pelicot wanted people to be able to “deal with the situation.” [the issues] and asking the right questions”.
The president of the French National Assembly, Yaël Braun Pivet, said it was broken: “The world will never be the same again as you.”
Former French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal hopes the mass rape case will send a “shock” through every boy’s education – “because this is where the fight for freedom and dignity begins”.
