Who knew? Mazan mass rape trial shocks France

Rebecca GNIGNATI | François PICARD | Alessandro XENOS | Rachel-Flore PARDO | Ummni KHAN | Cynthia ILLOUZ | Héma SIBI

Edité par France 24 - 2024

"Rape is rape." Gisèle Pélicot emphatic on the stand Wednesday in a trial that has sent shockwaves beyond France’s borders: the 71-year-old retiree batting away suggestions that the 50 defendants invited by her ex-husband to enter their bedroom when she was under sedation could have engaged in anything in the slightest consensual. 

Pélicot’s drawn admiration for her decision to waive her right to protection from the public eye and to sit front and center in the courtroom every day since the September 2nd opening of the trial in the southern city of Avignon. 

We will ask about that choice and a case that raises questions about individual guilt and collective responsibility: how many in the picturesque Provence village of Mazan knew? As her mental and physical health deteriorated over the years, it was only when gendarmes investigating a cold case came across lewd photos shared over the Internet that she discovered the horror. 

Why did no one come forward? 

 

Produced by Alessandro Xenos, Rebecca Gnignati, Ilayda Habip & Annarosa Zampaglione

Note
  • "Rape is rape." Gisèle Pélicot emphatic on the stand Wednesday in a trial that has sent shockwaves beyond France’s borders: the 71-year-old retiree batting away suggestions that the 50 defendants invited by her ex-husband to enter their bedroom when she was under sedation could have engaged in anything in the slightest consensual. 

Langue
anglais
Date de publication
19/09/2024
Collection
The Debate
Contributeurs
Rachel-Flore PARDO Lawyer and feminist activist
Ummni KHAN Associate Professor, Carleton University
Cynthia ILLOUZ Founder of The Women’s Voices to talk about France’s mobilisation
Héma SIBI Spokesperson for Mouvement du Nid

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