Avignon, France, Oct 23 (EFE).- Gisèle Pelicot, the French woman who was allegedly drugged and raped by her ex-husband when they were married, testified in court on Wednesday.
Dominique Pelicot, 71, who is also accused of inviting 50 men to have sex with his unconscious ex-wife over 10 years, admitted to the charges against him at the start of the trial in September.
During her testimony on Wednesday, Pelicot said she had requested an open trial and had given her consent for footage of the alleged rapes to be played in court to show other victims of sexual assault that they should not feel ashamed.
“I have nothing to be ashamed of, I have nothing to blame myself for, I have suffered 100 rapes,” she said. “We should not be ashamed – it’s them.”
Pelicot added that she wanted “all rape victims to be able to say that, if Mrs. Pelicot did it, we can do it too.”
She also reminded the women who have taken the stand in support of some of the defendants that she also thought she was married to “an exceptional man.”
“These mothers, sisters, wives, have said that their brothers and husbands were exceptional. I also had an exceptional man, but the profile of the rapist can be in the family, in friends,” she told the Court of Avignon in southeast France.
While she has been widely praised in France and beyond for her bravery in waiving her right to anonymity and for standing up for the victims of sexual assault, she acknowledged Wednesday that her ex-husband’s alleged crimes have “destroyed” her.
“I don’t know how I’m going to get up. I don’t know if my life will be enough to understand everything that has happened to me,” Pelicot said.
This was the second time she has taken the stand during the trial, which is in its eighth week.
While her ex-husband has admitted to being “a rapist,” most of the other defendants deny the charges, saying they were unaware she was unconscious. EFE
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