French Court Retrial for Convicted Rapist in Gisele Pelicot Case

Gisele Pelicot, whose ex-husband Dominique Pelicot was convicted for drugging and arranging for dozens of men to sexually assault her over nearly a decade, has returned to court in France as one of the convicted men, Husamettin Dogan, appeals his nine-year prison sentence. Dogan contends he was deceived by Dominique into believing there was consent and denies being a rapist, although he admitted the act constituted rape under legal definitions. Dominique Pelicot was sentenced to 20 years in prison, while the other men received sentences ranging from three to 15 years. Gisele Pelicot has become a symbol in the fight against sexual violence in France, and despite the trauma, she attends the appeal proceedings to assert that "a rape is a rape." Her daughter, Caroline Darian, who initially supported her mother, did not attend the appeal and has publicly spoken about their estrangement following the first trial. Dogan's appeal is the only one persisting among 17 men who originally filed appeals, and the retrial is underway in Nimes, France.