France: Gisele Pelicot, the 72-year-old survivor at the centre of one of France’s most harrowing sexual abuse cases, is set to return to court this week as the only man still appealing his conviction in the mass rape trial that shocked the nation stands trial again.

Husamettin Dogan, 44, was one of 51 men found guilty of sexually assaulting Pelicot over nearly a decade—acts orchestrated by her then-husband, Dominique Pelicot, who drugged her and invited strangers online to abuse her while she was unconscious. While all other convicted men have either accepted their sentences or withdrawn their appeals, Dogan remains the sole defendant still contesting the verdict.

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The fresh trial opens in Nîmes on Monday and is expected to run until Thursday. Dominique Pelicot is set to be brought from prison, where he remains in solitary confinement, for cross-examination on Tuesday.

Gisele Pelicot is scheduled to give evidence on Wednesday.

Dogan, who was sentenced to nine years in prison, claims he was misled into believing that Pelicot had consented to the encounter. His sentence remains suspended pending the outcome of the appeal.

Dogan initially admitted to rape

At the heart of Dogan’s argument is his claim that Dominique Pelicot portrayed the situation as consensual and manipulated him into participating. “He maintains that he never went to the couple’s home with the intention of raping anyone,” his lawyer Jean-Marc Darrigade said, describing his client as “deeply affected” by the stigma of being labelled a rapist. Dogan reportedly received messages, allegedly from Gisele Pelicot, appearing to consent, though it was later established she had been sedated and had no knowledge of the assaults.

During the original trial in Avignon in 2024, Dogan initially acknowledged that his actions legally constituted rape, but later reversed that position, maintaining his innocence. “I’m not a rapist,” he told the court at the time. The construction worker, who suffers from arthritis and is a father to a child with Down syndrome, only visited the Pelicot home once, in 2019.

Dogan’s legal team argues that while the court rightly recognised Gisele Pelicot was under the control of her husband, it should consider whether the same manipulation extended to the men recruited to abuse her. “Can’t we also conceive something similar for the few minutes during which Dogan faced this exceptionally perverse man?” Darrigade said.

For Gisele Pelicot, the appeal marks another emotional toll in a long and painful journey. Her ex-husband Dominique Pelicot was handed the maximum 20-year sentence and did not appeal. Pelicot herself insisted on an open court for the first trial, including the showing of graphic video evidence filmed by her husband, to help empower other survivors. “I wanted all women who are rape victims to say to themselves: ‘Mrs Pelicot did it, so we can do it too,’” she said.

Since then, she has become a symbol of resilience and a national figure in the fight against sexual violence. She was awarded the Legion of Honour and featured in Time magazine’s list of the world’s most influential people in 2025. Murals and portraits honouring her have appeared across France, and she received a personal message of support from Queen Camilla.

Daughter alleges harassment, lack of support

However, Pelicot’s private life remains complicated. Her daughter, Caroline Darian, believes she too may have been abused by Dominique Pelicot after finding explicit images of herself among his records. The two women are now estranged, with Darian accusing her mother of emotional abandonment during the trial.

Despite the public spotlight, Gisele Pelicot has fiercely protected her privacy. Her lawyer confirmed she has no intention of speaking publicly about her personal life. “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,” said Antoine Camus.

In 2026, Pelicot is expected to release her memoirs, A Hymn to Life, which will be published in 20 languages. “I now want to tell my story in my own words,” she said.

(With AFP and AP inputs)