Fifty-One Frenchmen
All 51 stood trial for raping Gisele Pelicot at the invitation of her husband, who had drugged her to be unconscious for the purpose. What does this case tell us about France?
In the seemingly idyllic village of Mazan in the south of France, a woman in her 60s was being raped by dozens of men over the course of almost ten years - all unbeknown to her and at the invitation of her husband, who had sedated her to the point of unconsciousness, by putting drugs in her food. He found the men online on the dark web, and has admitted his guilt.
The husband, Dominique Pelicot, and fifty other men have now faced justice for these rapes in a trial that has shocked many in France. The victim, Gisele Pelicot, waived her right to anonymity and has become a feminist hero, for her stance arguing that it is the rapists who should be ashamed, not her.
大象传媒 Paris correspondent Andrew Harding has been to Mazan, and has been following the trial in the nearby city of Avignon. In this programme, he asks what this case tells us about France, and whether in the age of the internet, these crimes could be happening anywhere.
Producer: Arlene Gregorius
Producers in France: Paul Pradier and Marianne Baisnee
Production Coordinator: Maria Ogundele
Editor: Penny Murphy
On radio
Broadcasts
- Sun 22 Dec 2024 13:30大象传媒 Radio 4
- Mon 23 Dec 2024 16:00大象传媒 Radio 4