Gisèle Pelicot’s ex-husband jailed for 20 years in mass-rape trial that horrified the world

The news

A French court jailed Dominique Pelicot for the maximum 20 years for drugging his ex-wife Gisèle and recruiting strangers to rape her for nearly a decade in a case that has horrified the world.

Fifty other men were also found guilty of sex crimes and given prison terms, although analysts noted that these were mostly shorter than those requested by prosecutors.

Gisèle Pelicot has become a feminist hero in France and beyond after she waived her right to anonymity, “refuses to be ashamed (and) stands up to his aggressors in court“, AFP reported. More generally, Le Monde argued, the case has signaled that “shame has changed sides” in France, which said Gisèle Pelicot it should.