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Dominique Pelicot and 50 others found guilty in French mass rape trial

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Dominique Pelicot, a 72-year-old man from southern France, was found guilty of orchestrating the mass rapes of his former wife, Gisèle Pelicot, over a period of almost a decade. He was sentenced to 20 years in prison, the maximum allowed under French law. Pelicot admitted to recruiting dozens of other men online to abuse his wife, who was sedated with tranquilizers. The trial, which was held in public in the city of Avignon, was one of the largest and most high-profile rape cases in French history. Of the 50 other defendants, 48 were found guilty of various charges, including rape and sexual assault, and were sentenced to prison terms ranging from 3 to 15 years.

    1. The shame must change sides. Thank you, Gisèle #Pelicot! You courageously went from anonymity to public and fought for justice. You gave women around the world a strong voice. The shame always lies with the perpetrator.
    1. Twenty years between the four walls of a prison. It's both a lot and not enough.
    1. For all of us, because your dignity and your courage have moved and inspired France and the world.
    1. Male violence against women & girls is an epidemic.
    1. As a woman and as a feminist, I feel disappointed and humiliated by these verdicts.
    1. Some women are realizing, maybe for the first time, that their ex-husbands violated them, or that someone close to them committed abuse.
    2. It is with deep emotion that I speak to you today. This trial has been a very difficult ordeal, and at this moment I am thinking first and foremost of my three children, David, Caroline and Florian.
    1. I regret what I did, making (my family) suffer... I ask them for forgiveness.
    2. I would like to start by hailing the courage of my ex-wife.
    3. What dignity. Thank you, Gisèle Pelicot. Shame must change sides.
    4. When I opened the doors of this trial on September 2, I wanted society to be able to seize the debates that took place there. I have never regretted that decision. I now have confidence in our ability to collectively grasp a future in which everyone, women and men alike, can live in harmony, mutual respect and understanding.