the parade of the last words of 50 accused

One last word, the last words. After three and a half months of debate, at 64^e day of hearing, the accused in the Mazan rape trial had the floor one last time, Monday December 16. In turn, these 50 men – the 51^e is on the run – had the microphone to answer the question from the president of the Vaucluse criminal court, Roger Arata: “Do you have anything to add in your defense?” »

The exercise, in a classic trial, rarely exceeds one minute, and it is forgotten within a second. In this trial of 51 accused, it lasted an hour, and caused a slight dizziness, that of hearing all these names again, of seeing all these faces again, of listening again to all these voices, with which we have lived since September.

First to speak, Dominique Pelicot made a point of “salute courage” from his ex-wife, to ask « pardon » to his family, to share his « regrets »in “inner shame”son “intention of [se] to forget ». To be accused one last time, too: “They said I was a liar, a manipulator. They were all this towards their own family to come to my house in secret. »

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