“There’s No Such Thing as a Small Rape”: Gisele Pelicot Faces Her Rapist Again After He Appeals His Sentence

Gisele Pelicot walked back into a courthouse in France. She held her head high. She greeted supporters. And she prepared to hear why one man convicted of raping her thinks nine years is too much. The moment feels surreal. It also feels like a test for a country that promised to listen.

The scene in Nîmes, and why it matters today

A year after a landmark verdict, Gisele Pelicot returned to an appeals court in Nîmes. She arrived with her youngest son and shook hands with people outside. Her lawyer said she would have preferred not to endure another trial. He added that she would come anyway to speak plainly about the crime. “She will be there to explain that a rape is a rape, that there is no such thing as a small rape,” attorney Antoine Camus said.

Who is appealing, and what he says happened

The man appealing is Husamettin Dogan. He received a nine-year prison sentence in the first trial. According to court documents, he contacted Dominique Pelicot in a chatroom. He then drove to the couple’s home the same night in June 2019. A court found he raped Gisele while she was unconscious. At that first trial, he said, “I’m not a rapist, that’s too heavy for me to bear.” Reuters reported his lawyer now argues he believed he was participating in a libertine threesome and did not know Gisele had not consented. In fact, he denies he intended to rape her and remains free pending the verdict.

Gisele Pelicot set the tone from day one

In 2024, Gisele stood in open court and gave the case a public face. She waived her anonymity. She spoke to the point. “It’s not for us to have shame. It’s for them,” she said in court. Before that, she told the court, “La honte doit changer de camp.” Or in English: “Shame must change sides.” She also explained what the police had uncovered. “For me, everything collapses,” she said in her testimony. “These are scenes of barbarity, of rape.”

How the original case shocked France

The first trial exposed a system of abuse that lasted years. Dominique Pelicot crushed sedatives into Gisele’s mashed potatoes, coffee, or ice cream. He then invited dozens of men to rape her while she was unconscious in their home in Mazan. Authorities later found over 20,000 images and videos. Furthermore, the discovery came after police detained Dominique for filming women in public and then searched his devices.

Gisele Pelicot and the 2024 verdict

Courts convicted Dominique Pelicot and 50 other men. Dominique received 20 years. He did not appeal. He also spoke with brutal clarity in court. “I am a rapist and all the accused men in this room are rapists,” he said. Sentences for the other defendants ranged from three to 15 years. However, seventeen men first said they would appeal. Sixteen then withdrew, and only Dogan pursued the appeal.

The appeal details you need

Now, the appeals court in Nîmes will hear the case over several days. Nine jurors were selected. Five are men and four are women. They sit with three judges. Prosecutors had sought a 12-year sentence at the first trial, but the court imposed nine. Civil proceedings in Avignon are scheduled for November to determine the damages owed to Gisele and her family.

What this moment says about France right now

Gisele’s decision to go public sparked a national debate. The case spurred discussion about consent-based rape law and better recognition of drug-facilitated assault. For their part, activists see both momentum and backlash. Groups say complaints have surged, and conviction rates have not kept up. A Senate report criticized the government’s strategy, while the Council of Europe also raised concerns. But lawyers told the BBC that chronic understaffing and inadequate training continue to undermine justice for survivors.

Gisele Pelicot keeps the focus where it belongs

Through every hearing, Gisele has centered the message. She speaks for women who were drugged and never knew; for those who may never have a voice. She reminds France that public trials can educate communities about chemical submission and consent. And she keeps repeating the line that became a movement: “Shame must change sides.”