The news

A French court has sentenced Dominique Pelicot to the maximum sentence of 20 years for drugging his ex-wife Gisèle for nearly a decade and recruiting strangers to rape her – a case that shocked the world.

Fifty other men were also found guilty of sex crimes and received prison sentences ranging from three to 15 years, although analysts said these were mostly shorter than those sought by prosecutors.

Outside the courtroom, Gisèle Pelicot told reporters that she was thinking about her children, as well as other victims and their families, as their stories were “often in the shadows,” the BBC reported. Pelicot added that she “never regretted” opening the trial and waiving her anonymity so that “society could see what was going on.”

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Gisèle Pelicot has become a feminist hero in France and beyond after she waived her right to anonymity and “refused to be ashamed (and) face her aggressors in court,” AFP reported.

The case signaled that “shame has changed sides in France,” wrote Le Monde, as Gisèle Pelicot famously said.

As the verdict was announced, supporters could be found outside the courtroom waving placards.

The view from Germany

Chancellor Olaf Scholz praised Gisèle Pelicot’s courage in calling for a public and open process, writing in a statement on X:

“Disgrace must change sides. Thank you, Gisele Pelicot! They courageously went out of anonymity and into the public eye and fought for justice. They have given women around the world a strong voice. The shame always lies with the perpetrator.”

Remarkable

• Megan Clement, editor of the Impact newsletter, wrote that Gisèle Pelicot changed the world by asking for an open process: “She flipped the script herself and gave others permission to do the same.”