Moment in history: here is Gisèle Pelicot’s full statement after the verdict.
“It is with deep emotion that I speak to you today. This trial was a very difficult ordeal. And at this moment, I think first and foremost of my three children, David, Caroline and Florian. I also think of my grandchildren, because they are the future, and it is also for them that I led this fight, as well as my daughters-in-law, Aurore and Céline. I also think of all the other families affected by this tragedy. Finally, I think of the unrecognized victims, whose stories often remain in the shadows. I want you to know that we share the same struggle.
I would like to express my deepest gratitude to everyone who supported me throughout this ordeal. Your testimony moved me and I drew from it the strength to come back every day to face these long days of hearing. I would also like to thank the Victim Support Association, whose unfailing support has been invaluable to me.
To all the journalists who have followed this affair since its inception, I would like to express my gratitude for the faithful, respectful and dignified treatment in which they reported on these hearings on a daily basis. Finally, to my lawyers, they know all the gratitude and esteem I have for them for having accompanied me at each stage of this painful journey.
By opening the doors to this trial on September 2, I wanted society to be able to understand the debates that took place there. I have never regretted this decision. I now have confidence in our ability to collectively seize a future in which everyone, women and men, can live in harmony, with respect and mutual understanding.”
