A 72-year-old mass rape survivor, Gisèle Pélicot, is set to return to court this week as one of the convicted rapists challenges his verdict. Husamettin Dogan, a 44-year-old man, was sentenced to nine years in prison for raping Gisèle. In his defense during the initial trial last year, Dogan claimed he believed the assault was part of a game.
The builder, originally from Turkey, engaged with Gisèle’s husband, Dominique Pélicot, 71, known as The Beast of Avignon, on an online chatroom. Dominique informed Dogan that his wife was seeking an “Arab” man. On the same evening, Dogan left his home under the pretense of going out but instead drove to the Pélicot residence where he sexually assaulted the unconscious Gisèle.
Dogan later expressed that he thought Gisèle appeared lifeless, but he misconstrued the situation as a charade. He maintained his innocence, stating, “I’m not a rapist, that’s too heavy for me to bear.” His lawyer refrained from commenting prior to the appeal trial.
The shocking rape trial involving 51 individuals, including a soldier, a firefighter, and a nurse, has captivated global attention. Gisèle was drugged and subjected to 92 instances of rape by strangers invited into her bedroom by her husband between 2011 and 2020 at their residence in Mazan, a commune in Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur, France.
Her former spouse of 50 years, Dominique Pélicot, is serving a 20-year prison sentence for orchestrating the appalling campaign of abuse against his wife. He operated an online chatroom named ‘Without her knowledge,’ where he solicited men to commit heinous acts of sexual violence against Gisèle without her awareness.
Despite some of the convicted men being described as upstanding fathers and loving husbands, psychological evaluations revealed no significant mental disorders or abnormalities among them, except for a few with prior convictions related to sexual offenses, child pornography, and domestic abuse. These individuals, mostly ordinary men, engaged in despicable acts of sexual violence against an incapacitated woman without her consent.
A total of 50 accomplices were found guilty of various charges, including aggravated rape and sexual assault, with sentences ranging from 13 to five years in prison, including two suspended sentences. The offenders hailed from diverse backgrounds, encompassing civil servants, ambulance personnel, soldiers, prison guards, nurses, truck drivers, a journalist, a DJ, and a municipal councillor.
Among the participants, the youngest, Joan Kawai, aged 22, engaged in two separate instances of assaulting Gisèle in 2019 and 2020. A former soldier in the French military, Kawai acknowledged his actions, stating, “I’m a rapist because the law says I am,” although he claimed ignorance about consent before his incarceration. He received a 10-year sentence for aggravated rape.
Another perpetrator, Charly Arbo, a 30-year-old vineyard worker, raped Gisèle six times over four years, with the first incident occurring when he was 22. Video evidence presented during the trial depicted Arbo discussing plans with Pélicot to drug and assault Gisèle, although both denied assaulting Arbo’s mother in a similar manner. Arbo was convicted of aggravated rape and received a 13-year sentence.
Adrien Longeron, a former construction site manager with a history of past convictions for raping former partners, received a six-year sentence for aggravated rape and child abuse imagery after denying raping Gisèle in 2014. Longeron, aged 23 at the time, claimed he believed he was participating in a game and harbored deep-seated animosity towards women.
The case also involved Hughes Malago, a 39-year-old tiler and father-of-two, who denied knowledge of Gisèle being drugged when he raped her in October 2019. Malago, found guilty of attempted rape and two aggravating offenses, received a five-year sentence. His ex-girlfriend, Emilie O, disclosed concerns about potential drugging and sexual assaults perpetrated by Malago, which she reported to the police without success due to insufficient evidence.
These are just a few examples from the extensive trial that has exposed the abhorrent acts of numerous individuals involved in the mass rape of Gisèle Pélicot.
