Verdicts are due in the historic French rape trial that turned Gisèle Pelicot into a feminist hero

Associated Press

AVIGNON, France (AP) — French judges plan to deliver hugely anticipated verdicts in a historic drugging-and-rape trial that has turned the victim, Gisèle Pelicot, into a feminist hero. The verdicts against the 51 defendants are expected on Thursday morning. Everything about the trial in the southern French city of Avignon has been exceptional, most of all Pelicot herself. She has been the epitome of steely dignity and resilience through the more than three months of appalling testimony, including extracts from her now ex-husband’s sordid library of homemade abuse videos. Campaigners against sexual violence are hoping for exemplary prison sentences and view the trial as a possible turning point in the fight against rape culture.