Currently the Mazan rape trial is taking place, in which fifty men are accused of rapes, orchestrated by Dominique Pelicot, the husband of the victim, Gisèle Pelicot. A few years ago, you filed a complaint without exposure against an ex-spouse before speaking publicly, in 2019, about the violence and manipulation he had subjected you to. How do you see the choice of Gisèle Pelicot, who refused to go behind closed doors to make the trial public, in which explicit videos of the rapes she suffered are notably broadcast?
I asked myself the question of making my trial public. I was in correctional [le tribunal correctionnel est compétent pour juger les personnes suspectées d’avoir commis un délit. La cour d’assises, elle, juge les personnes suspectées d’avoir commis un crime, ndlr]. Normally, there are no closed sessions. I asked for one because I was famous. But, since this guy who attacked me never told the truth, I tell myself that if it had been public, that might have pushed him to tell it. Maybe they would have supported me. Gisèle Pelicot surely did well. Perhaps if she had asked for a closed session, she would have been less heard… There, she is more than naked. It is his body that is exposed for all to see. This is incredibly brave.
The English Lover by Jacques Osinski, to a text by Marguerite Duras, at the Théâtre de l'Atelier, until November 30
Image (c) Philippe Quaisse
