Gisele Perico paid tribute to victims of sexual violence who continue to fight for recognition in society after her ex-husband and 50 other men were found guilty in the biggest rape trial in French history.
As political leaders hailed the trial as a turning point in the fight against rape culture and victim shaming, Perricott, 72, said Thursday she regretted her decision to waive her right to anonymity to hold the trial in public. He said he has not done so.
“Victims' stories are often kept in the dark,” she said outside court on the final day of her months-long trial, as thousands of supporters gathered in the French city of Avignon to cheer her on. He said he was thinking about the victims who are not recognized.
“I want them to know we are fighting the same fight,” she said. “When I opened the door to this trial, which began on September 2nd, I wanted the whole of society to bear witness to the discussion that took place here…I want everyone to know now that women , confident in our ability to find a better future.''And men can likewise live in harmony, with respect and mutual understanding. ”
Her ex-husband, Dominique Pericot, is one of the worst sex offenders in modern French history, serving 20 years in prison for drugging her and inviting dozens of men to rape her at his home in the south of France over nearly a decade. He was sentenced in 2018. their marriage. Presiding Judge Roger Arata said the 72-year-old would not be eligible for parole until he has served two-thirds of his sentence.
All the male defendants, aged between 26 and 74, were also found guilty, including a nurse, a soldier, a journalist, a prison warden and a delivery driver. 47 people were convicted of rape, two of attempted rape and two of sexual assault. Raid.
International leaders praised Gisele Perico's bravery and expressed their gratitude for shamelessly exposing the prevalence of sexual violence.
“Thank you, Gisele Perico!” wrote German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. “You had the courage to go from anonymity to a public figure and fight for justice. You gave a strong voice to women around the world. Shame always lies with the perpetrators.”
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said: “What a majesty. Thank you, Gisele Perico.”
French Green Party leader Marine Tonderia, who was in Avignon to attend some of the hearings, said the trial “broke a social taboo and marked a turning point in the fight against rape culture.” . If you feel ashamed, your position will change. ”
Some expressed disappointment that some of the prison sentences handed down to Dominick Perico's co-defendants by the five-judge panel were lower than those offered by state prosecutors. Sentences ranged from three to 15 years. Some were suspended for several years. .
“Shame!” shouted some feminist activists outside the courtroom as the verdict was handed down.
Laurence Rossignol, a Socialist senator and former family and women's rights minister, welcomed the conviction, but joined others in questioning some parts of the verdict. “The discrepancy between the sentences sought by prosecutors and some of the sentences handed down is unfortunate and significant,” she said. “The consumer's responsibility for pornography, paid sex, or sedated wives is always downplayed.”
But when asked for her thoughts on the verdict, Gisele Perico said: “I respect the court and its decision.”
The retired logistics manager watched with his son and daughter as Arata read out the man's prison sentence. She has been hailed as a feminist hero around the world for opening the door to justice and is “determined to change the landscape of this society” for ordinary people outside the courtroom, especially “machos”. I support the women who said this every day. , a patriarchal society that trivializes rape.”
Her husband, a former electrician and former real estate agent, crushed sleeping pills and anti-anxiety drugs into her mashed potatoes, coffee or ice cream and invited dozens of men to rape her for nine hours. The court heard the case for almost four months. Since 2011, he has been active in the village of Mazan in Provence, where the couple had retired.
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Dominic Perico pleaded guilty in court after a video of a rape by him and another man was found carefully categorized in a file labeled “abuse” on his computer's hard drive. , told the judge, “I'm a rapist.''
He was also found guilty Thursday of installing hidden cameras in the bathrooms and bedrooms of his and his family's homes and creating and distributing naked images of his adult daughters and sons' wives.
Questions are now being raised about whether Pericot may have been a serial offender for decades. He faced further investigation for the rape and murder of a real estate agent in Paris in 1991 and an attempted rape in 1999. Nanterre's investigative authorities have reopened both cases and placed him under formal investigation, as police consider links to other cases involving the young real estate agent. .
Many of the men on trial with Dominick Perico have denied in testimony that what they did to Gisele Perico was rape, sparking a national debate about consent and rape laws. It's turning into something.
One of them, Dominic Davis, a truck driver and military veteran, was sentenced to 13 years in prison for raping Gisele Perico on six separate occasions. He denied rape and said he never intended to rape anyone. He told the court: “I didn't wake up one morning and say to myself, 'Today I'm going to go to a couple's house and commit a crime.'
He said he felt he had received sufficient assurances from Dominic Perico, adding: “I forgot one big guarantee: Madame's consent.''
Another man, 26-year-old Joan Kawai, told the court: “I'm a rapist because the law says so,'' but he didn't intend to rape her, adding: “At the time I didn't know what consent meant. I didn't know that.'' . He says he learned the meaning of consent while in prison.
Kawai was a soldier in the French army and the youngest man to stand trial. He was found guilty of rape and sentenced to 10 years in prison.
The men have 10 days to decide whether to appeal the sentence. Dominic Perico's lawyer, Beatriz Zabarro, said she would consider an appeal, but also expressed hope that Gisele Perico would find comfort in the ruling.
“I wanted Mrs. Pericot to come out of this hearing in peace, and I think the verdict will contribute to this relief for Mrs. Pericot,” she said.
