The Mazan Trial
The Mazan trial in Vaucluse, France, has gripped the country as it unveils the horrific abuse suffered by Gisèle Pélicot, sparking a national debate on sexual violence and media influence. Her husband, Dominique, systematically allowed more than 80 men, over a decade, to rape and film Gisèle while she was drugged and unconscious. The resonance of this trial transcended judicial boundaries, becoming a symbol of the fight against sexual violence and a national debate raising significant questions about the influence of media on France's judicial system.
The Facts: A Decade of Ignored Suffering
Between 2011 and 2020 — police have gathered — Gisèle Pélicot, now 73 years old, was regularly drugged without her knowledge and raped by a series of men whom Dominique contacted and brought into their home. These rapes were meticulously recorded, and the videos were organized in a file called "ABUS," found on Dominique's computer, and were then distributed on clandestine pornography websites. It wasn’t until the investigation began that Gisèle fully became aware of the atrocities she had suffered, a revelation that had a devastating psychological impact on her: "My world is collapsing, everything is collapsing, everything I have built in fifty years."
Dominique was described as an "ordinary" man by his peers, yet his own background revealed some disturbing patterns. According to Dominique, he was raped at age 9, involved in a gang rape at age 14, and grew up ashamed of his father, who was a known sexual abuser. “In every man, there is a demon. Mine comes from my childhood,” he stated to the criminal court of Vaucluse. Some experts point to these traumatic events in his childhood as catalysts for his later deviant behavior.
In 2020, a grocery store security guard reported Dominique for attempting to record up multiple girls' skirts, which led to his initial arrest, and everything snowballed from there. When police officers called Gisèle Pélicot in for questioning regarding Dominique's attempts of upskirting, she initially told them her husband was "a great guy." Police then showed her some photos of the abuse that they found on Dominique's computer. She left the station and filed for divorce from her husband.
In addition to the rape of his wife, he is also accused of filming his daughter and stepdaughters without their knowledge or consent. Investigators found photos of Dominique's daughter, Caroline, on his computer. Since the discovery of these photos, in November 2020, she is convinced of having been drugged and perhaps even sexually assaulted by her father, or strangers, using the same process used on her mother. “When I see the photos, there is a form of dissociation that takes place”. She later wrote a memoir titled Et j’ai cessé de t’appeler papa ("And I Stopped Calling Him Dad") in 2022, under the pen name Caroline Darian.
In total, 51 men have been identified and prosecuted in this case for collective rape and sexual assault. Investigators identified over 90 rapes of Gisèle Pélicot, and the investigation revealed the existence of at least 83 potential rapists.
Legal Definitions and the Consequences of Sexual Violence in France
Under French law, rape is classified as a crime of sexual penetration committed using violence, coercion, threats, or surprise. Rape is a crime punishable by fifteen years of criminal imprisonment. The sentence can be increased to 20 years in prison in the event of aggravating circumstances. When the victim is a vulnerable person, such as in Gisèle's case, harsher penalties often apply. The Pélicot case, with its extraordinary scale, prompted discussions on whether current laws sufficiently address the specific context of "organized" rape or repeated offenses under chemical submission. Recent legal reforms in France, notably after the influence of the #MeToo movement, also played a large role, as they allowed for quicker processes for victims and harsher penalties for repeat offenders.
The #MeToo movement began in France around 2017, sparked by a flood of testimonies following the Harvey Weinstein scandal. In France, it took on the name "#BalanceTonPorc" ("Expose Your Pig"), highlighting a wave of testimonies about sexual abuse in various sectors. The Mazan trial illustrates how this movement has shifted French society toward greater awareness of sexual violence and a more rigorous judicial response to such crimes.
National Impact
In parallel, feminist movements and support groups for victims of sexual violence organized protests in several major cities across France. In Paris, Lyon, Marseille, and even Mazan, rallies were held to denounce the violence suffered by Gisèle and demand a reform of how rape cases are handled by French courts. The NousToutes collective — a French feminist organization dedicated to combating violence against women — organized several demonstrations, calling for stronger support for rape victims and tougher sanctions against perpetrators. These demonstrations attracted widespread media attention, further increasing public pressure around the trial. In the streets, protesters held banners with slogans such as "Justice for Gisèle" and "Rape is a crime, not a taboo."
The Mazan case quickly took on a national dimension, largely thanks to the intense media coverage it generated. From the first revelations about the facts, the national press seized upon the case, turning it into a major spectacle. Newspapers like Le Monde, Libération, and Le Parisien closely followed each stage of the trial, publishing articles, interviews, and analyses that highlighted the horrors suffered by the victim.
The Mazan case also gained considerable momentum on social media platforms. Hashtags such as #JusticeForGisèle and #StopViol quickly emerged, allowing thousands of internet users to express their outrage and solidarity with the victim. Support testimonies multiplied, as did criticism of the slowness of justice in such cases. Some users denounced a 'complicit patriarchal system,' blaming the authorities for not acting sooner to protect Gisèle Pélicot, given that they were suspicious of the situation involving Dominique Pélicot prior to intervening.
This strong media coverage, combined with massive public mobilization, inevitably influenced the trial’s proceedings. Some observers questioned the risk of a "media trial," where public opinion — often inflamed by partial or biased information — could weigh on the tribunal’s and jury's decisions. The right to a fair trial, enshrined in the French Constitution, is a fundamental principle, but it can be threatened when public pressure becomes too intense.
Comparison with Other Publicized Trials
The Mazan trial is not the first case of sexual violence to be heavily publicized in France. For example, the Jonathan Daval case in 2020, which involved the murder of his wife, Alexia Daval, was also marked by intense media coverage, with strong feminist mobilization against domestic violence. However, the Mazan case stands out due to the scale of the crimes and the number of accused perpetrators involved.
There have been incidents in France, such as in the 2004 Outreau trial, where excessive media exposure contributed to a series of judicial errors. In the Mazan case, the media has not yet produced such effects.
The Outreau trial highlighted how media pressure can harm the proper administration of justice. In that case, several people were wrongly convicted before being exonerated on appeal; a scandal that deeply shook the public’s trust in the judicial system.
A Trial Emblematic of Today’s Challenges
The Mazan trial is more than just a judicial case: Gisèle Pélicot has become a symbol of the fight against sexual violence in France. Her fight for justice, backed by millions of people, seriously calls out how society and the judicial system must evolve to offer more effective support to victims and ensure the fairness of trials in such a highly mediated context.
