A French judge in the trial of dozens of men accused of raping an unconscious woman whose now former husband had repeatedly drugged her so that he and others could assault her decided on Friday to allow the public to see some of the video recordings of the alleged rapes. The decision by Judge Roger Arata in Avignon to allow journalists and members of the public attending the trial to see the recordings marks a stunning reversal in the case that has shaken France, per the AP. It comes after a two-week legal battle in which journalists following the trial and lawyers of Gisele Pelicot—who was allegedly raped over the course of a decade—argued that the videos were crucial for a full understanding of the extraordinary trial. With Friday's decision, Judge Arata reversed his earlier Sept. 20 ruling that the videos would be shown only on a case-by-case basis, and privately.
Pelicot, 71, has become a symbol of the fight against sexual violence in France. She has insisted that the trial be public, against the court's suggestion that it be held behind closed doors. Since the hearings started on Sept. 2, Pelicot has come face-to-face almost daily with ex-husband Dominique Pelicot and 49 other alleged rapists. She has been praised for her courage and composure, and admired for speaking in a calm and clear voice and allowing that her full name be published—uncommon under French law for victims in rape trials. Her insistence that the videos—in which men can be seen sexually abusing her apparently inert body—recorded by her ex-husband and submitted as evidence in the trial be shown to the public speak to her wish that the trial serve as a national example, one of her lawyers said.
"It's a unique case: We don't have one representation of rape. We have dozens, hundreds of videos of a rape," said the attorney, Stephane Babonneau. "Gisele Pelicot thinks that this shock wave is necessary, so that no one can say after this: 'I didn't know this was rape.'" The explicit videos shown during the trial, which has underscored the difficulties that sexual violence victims can face in France, are especially important, Pelicot's lawyers say, since the vast majority of the defendants deny the allegations of rape. Some defendants claim Pelicot's husband tricked them; others say he forced them to have sexual intercourse with her and that they were terrified. Still others argue they believed she was consenting or that her husband's consent was sufficient. The videos, the lawyers say, speak for themselves. More here.
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