Gisèle Pelicot, whose testimony helped expose one of France’s most disturbing rape cases, returned to court on Monday for the appeal of one of the 51 men convicted of sexually assaulting her.
The appeal was filed by 44-year-old Husamettin Dogan, a former construction worker sentenced to nine years in prison for aggravated rape.
He was among the men who assaulted Pelicot after being recruited online by her husband, Dominique Pelicot, who drugged his wife over nearly a decade and invited strangers to rape her while she was unconscious.
Dogan claims he believed he was taking part in consensual sexual activity and did not realise the victim was unconscious.
His lawyer argued that intent, a key element in French criminal law should be reconsidered in his case.
Dominique Pelicot was sentenced to 20 years in prison in 2024 after admitting to drugging and assaulting his wife in their home in the southern village of Mazan.
Police uncovered thousands of videos he recorded of the attacks, which helped identify the 50 co-defendants convicted alongside him.
Gisèle Pelicot arrived at the Court of Appeal in Nîmes accompanied by her youngest son, as dozens of supporters gathered outside holding banners.
Pelicot, who chose to waive her anonymity during last year’s trial, has become a prominent figure in France’s fight against sexual violence.
The new hearing, overseen by three judges and a nine-member jury, is expected to conclude by Wednesday. Pelicot chose to attend in person despite not being required to, with her lawyers saying she felt it was her duty to see the process through.
During the original trial, Pelicot’s decision to make the proceedings public was seen as a turning point in France’s debate on consent and drug-facilitated assault. Her courage in confronting her abusers has been widely praised, both in France and abroad.
Dominique Pelicot, who remains in solitary confinement, is expected to appear as a witness during the appeal. At his first trial, he admitted his guilt, declaring, “I am a rapist, and all the men in this room are rapists.”
The appeal court’s verdict is expected later this week.
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The global recall of Airbus A320 aircraft has triggered widespread disruption across several major airlines, forcing flight cancellations in the United States, Japan, Australia and New Zealand.
U.S. investigators have recovered the black box recorders from the wreckage of a UPS cargo plane that crashed in flames on takeoff in Louisville, Kentucky. At least twelve people died. The crash sent a wall of fire into an industrial corridor and forced the shutdown of the airport.
Pope Leo visited Istanbul’s Blue Mosque on Saturday, stepping inside one of the most iconic sites of the Muslim world. He removed his shoes at the entrance in a gesture of respect. He did not appear to pray.
Russian drones and missiles struck several districts of Kyiv early on Saturday, killing one person and injuring more than a dozen. Fires swept through residential blocks as debris rained over the city.
At least 47 people have died and another 21 are reported missing following ten days of heavy rainfall, floods, and landslides across Sri Lanka, local media reported on Thursday (27 November).
Hong Kong fire authorities said they expected to wrap up search and rescue operations on Friday after the city's worst fire in nearly 80 years tore through a massive apartment complex, killing at least 128 people, injuring 79 and leaving around 200 still missing.
Netflix crashed on Wednesday for about an hour in the U.S. as it launched season five of "Stranger Things", with the service becoming inaccessible to many subscribers within minutes of the episodes going live at 8 p.m. local time.
U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth visited sailors aboard the USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier in the Latin American region on Thursday, amid a military buildup by President Donald Trump’s administration that has heightened tensions with Venezuela.
French health experts are warning that the highly pathogenic H5 strain of bird flu, already devastating wild and farm animals, could evolve into a virus capable of human-to-human transmission — potentially sparking a pandemic worse than COVID-19.
The global recall of Airbus A320 aircraft has triggered widespread disruption across several major airlines, forcing flight cancellations in the United States, Japan, Australia and New Zealand.
Pope Leo visited Istanbul’s Blue Mosque on Saturday, stepping inside one of the most iconic sites of the Muslim world. He removed his shoes at the entrance in a gesture of respect. He did not appear to pray.
Russian drones and missiles struck several districts of Kyiv early on Saturday, killing one person and injuring more than a dozen. Fires swept through residential blocks as debris rained over the city.
Shoppers packed malls and downtown streets in Caracas on Black Friday (28 November) as retailers offered discounts despite Venezuela’s prolonged economic crisis. Customers queued in shoe and electronics stores and browsed signs advertising cuts of up to 50%.
The famed Nuremberg Christmas Market opened on Friday (28 November) with its traditional ceremony featuring the Nuremberg Christkind, an angel-like child figure said to deliver Christmas gifts in some European countries.
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