AL HAYAT - Gisele Pelicot: French rape survivor and global icon

Gisele Pelicot's former husband admitted to drugging her with sedatives and inviting dozens of strangers to rape and abuse her over nearly a decade, in a case that has sparked horror, protests and a debate about male violence in French society.

Her ex-husband Dominique Pelicot, who was handed the maximum term of 20 years in jail by a French court, and 49 other defendants are not appealing their sentences.

But one man, Husamettin Dogan, has maintained his appeal, meaning the new trial has to take place.

"She would have much preferred to stay where she is and focus on her new life and her future," one of her lawyers, Antoine Camus, told AFP.

"Gisele Pelicot is the epitome of resilience. So she needs to see this through to the end," he added.

Instead of requesting closed-door proceedings when the initial four-month trial opened in the southern city of Avignon in September 2024, Gisele Pelicot insisted that it be open to the public.

She also pushed for the footage of sexual abuse filmed by Dominique Pelicot to be shown in court.

"I wanted all women who are rape victims to say to themselves: 'Mrs Pelicot did it, so we can do it too,'" she said.

- 'Shown us the way' -

Since the first trial, Gisele Pelicot has become a symbol in the fight against sexual violence, and her case has set in motion a change to France's rape laws.

Artists all over the country have honoured the rape survivor with portraits and murals featuring her trademark brown bobbed haircut and round sunglasses.

Britain's Queen Camilla sent her a personal message of support, and the Frenchwoman was also included in Time magazine's list of the world's most influential people in 2025 for her "extraordinary courage".

"Gisele has shown us the way. Now we must follow," the writer and noted feminist Gloria Steinem wrote in the magazine.

In July, Gisele Pelicot was given the Legion of Honour, France's top civic award.

- 'My mother isn't an icon' -

But despite winning worldwide praise, Gisele Pelicot has seen her relationship with her daughter collapse.

Caroline Darian suspects Dominique Pelicot abused her too after pictures of her naked and unconscious body were found among the detailed records he kept of his crimes.

She said in March that she had filed a complaint against her father. He has denied sexually abusing her.

While Gisele Pelicot was praised for her courage, Darian feels she has been "forgotten" and says her mother did not support her enough.

In an interview with British newspaper The Daily Telegraph in August, Darian said she no longer spoke to her mother and accused her of abandoning her.

"My mother let go of my hand in the courtroom," she said. "My mother isn't an icon -- not to me."

Camus said Gisele Pelicot "loves her daughter and is mortified, deeply saddened and sincerely affected by the knowledge that she is in distress and suffering".

- 'In my own words' -

Since the end of the first trial, Gisele Pelicot has fiercely guarded her privacy.

"She does not intend to reveal anything," her lawyer Camus said.

"She is not here to talk about what she eats in the morning, her new friends, her new partner, where she lives and what she does with her days."

In April, French magazine Paris Match published seven pictures of Gisele Pelicot accompanied by a man described as her companion walking in the streets in her new home town.

In June, she reached an out-of-court settlement with the magazine, which agreed to pay 40,000 euros ($47,000) to two associations supporting victims of violence.

The feminist icon will release her memoirs in early 2026.

"A Hymn to Life" will be published in 20 languages, British publisher The Bodley Head, which is owned by the Penguin group, has said.

"I now want to tell my story in my own words," said Gisele Pelicot.

G.Hazmi--al-Hayat