“You are not alone. I dedicate this fight to you”

Gisele Pelicotthe woman whose husband drugged her for 10 years so that dozens of men would rape her while she was unconscious, has sent a message this Monday to other victims of sexual violence around the world to tell them: “You are not alone.”

In a brief statement upon her arrival at the hearing in Avignon where her now ex-husband and 50 other men are being tried for having raped her, Gisèle Pelicot wanted to thank the samples of support which has been received since the beginning of the process and in particular the demonstrations organised in France this Saturday.

“Thanks to all of you I have the strength to carry this fight to the end. This fight is dedicated to all the people, women and men, who are victims of sexual violence in the world.To all those victims, I want to say today, look around you, you are not alone“, he said.

Suspended trial

These words were spoken minutes before the start of a hearing that was not attended by the main defendant, Dominique Pelicot, because, as announced by his lawyer, Béatrice Zavarro, he has been diagnosed with a gallstone and has a kidney infection.

He trial has been suspendedor for a medical team to inform the court of the defendant’s actual state of health. Roger Arata, President The Vaucluse Criminal Court wants to know first-hand whether Dominique Pelicot can attend the trial in the coming days.

A fundamental question for the decision that will have to be made on whether the event will continue or whether it will be postponed, for a few days or for a much longer period, which would entail a new schedule for the dozens of people involved.