At the Mazan rape trial, the court authorizes the presence of the press and the public during the broadcast of the videos

Reversing the initial decision of its president, the Vaucluse criminal court decided, Friday October 4, that the videos and photos broadcast during the debates at the Mazan rape trial will henceforth be broadcast in the presence of the press and the public.

This decision was announced by the president of the court, Roger Arata, after a debate of nearly two hours at the start of the hearing on Friday, then a ninety-minute court deliberation. She is described as « victoire » by Gisèle Pelicot’s lawyers.

The broadcast of these images will however be preceded by a “announcement allowing sensitive people and minors to leave the room”specified the magistrate. These broadcasts will not be “not systematic” and will only take place in cases “strictly necessary for the manifestation of the truth”at the request of one of the parties, added Mr. Arata.

On September 20, “cconsidering that these images are indecent and shocking”, Mr. Arata had announced that these videos would be broadcast “in the sole presence of the parties and the court” and that the room would be evacuated beforehand. A decision deplored by Ms. Pélicot’s lawyers, for whom “you have to have the courage to confront yourself” to the reality of rape.

Five days later, these lawyers again called for the restrictions to be lifted, in the name of the fight that Gisèle Pelicot is waging against sexual violence. And it is on their written conclusions that the parties debated at length before the court on Friday morning.

“A meaning to his suffering”

“For Gisèle Pelicot, it is too late, the damage is done”argued one of Ms. Pélicot’s counsel, Me Stéphane Babonneau, on Friday. “But if these same debates, through their publicity, prevent other women from having to go through that, then she will find meaning in her suffering”.

Several lawyers for the 50 co-defendants in this extraordinary trial, however, fiercely opposed the presence of the public and the press during the broadcast of the videos. “Justice does not need that to pass, what is the point of these nauseating projections? We were treated to a screening on a first case. One movie wasn’t enough? »argued Mr. Olivier Lantelme, without success. He was referring to the broadcast, Thursday, September 19, of chilling images in which a defendant was seen abusing a completely inert Gisèle Pelicot.

Videos of the facts concerning some of the accused will be shown on Friday afternoon at 1:30 p.m. after the suspension, announced the president of the court.