In a courtroom frozen in silence, prosecutor Dominique Sié delivered a closing argument of rare intensity.
Facing Husamettin Dogan, the only one of fifty men convicted of the rapes of Gisèle Pélicot to appeal his conviction, he called for twelve years in prison — three more than the sentence handed down in Avignon.
“YOU TOOK PART IN A MASSIVE WORK OF DESTRUCTION AGAINST A WOMAN OFFERED UP AS PREY,” thundered the prosecutor, denouncing “THE COWARDICE OF A MAN TRAPPED IN A MINDSET FROM ANOTHER AGE.”
Turning the “culture of rape” into a “culture of consent”
The 44-year-old former construction worker, originally sentenced to nine years, continues to deny any intent to rape.
His persistent denial, said the prosecutor, is intolerable.
“AS LONG AS YOU REFUSE TO ADMIT IT, IT’S NOT JUST A WOMAN YOU HUMILIATE — IT’S AN ENTIRE SOCIETY YOU CONDONE,” Sié declared.
And he continued:
“IT IS TIME TO TRANSFORM, FOR YOU AND FOR SOCIETY, THE CULTURE OF RAPE INTO A CULTURE OF CONSENT.”
Dominique Sié described this case as a “collective awakening” — a mirror held up to a society still shaped by male domination.
“IT’S AN ARCHAIC, DESTRUCTIVE SYSTEM THAT PLACES MAN AT THE CENTER OF THE UNIVERSE. WHEN THE MAN AGREES, THE WOMAN IS PRESUMED TO AGREE. THAT IS WHAT MUST BE OVERTURNED.”
For Sié, the Pélicot case exposes a profound cultural fault line — that of a society which still, too often, confuses silence with consent.
“IN 2025, WE CANNOT CONSIDER THAT BECAUSE SHE SAID NOTHING, SHE AGREED. THAT IS A MINDSET FROM ANOTHER AGE!”
“Unbearable images”
Over four days of hearings, the Gard Appeal Court — composed of five men, four women, and three professional judges — watched harrowing footage:
Gisèle Pélicot, unconscious, sometimes snoring, as a man penetrates her without her ever waking up.
“Of course Mrs. Pélicot was not consenting,” insisted the prosecutor.
The jury, aware of the symbolic weight of the trial, is expected to deliver its verdict later today.
The Mazan case — a legal and societal earthquake — had already led to the conviction of 49 other men, sentenced to between three and fifteen years in prison.
But for the prosecution, this final trial is crucial: it is about one man’s refusal to face the reality of rape.
“THIS CASE IS ALSO ABOUT A SOCIETY THAT MUST CHANGE ITS LENS,” Sié concluded, reminding the court that “CONSENT CANNOT BE DELEGATED, ASSUMED, OR BOUGHT.”
“You don’t touch a sleeping woman”
The civil parties’ lawyers, Antoine Camus and Babonneau, pleaded with force.
“YOU DON’T TOUCH A SLEEPING WOMAN,” thundered Me Camus, reminding the jury that “THIS CASE HELPED CHANGE THE LAW ON CONSENT.”
And he added:
“AFTER THE BATTLE FOUGHT BY GISÈLE PÉLICOT, WE HOPE THIS JURY WILL SAY LOUD AND CLEAR THAT IN FRANCE, HUMAN RIGHTS ALSO BELONG TO WOMEN — AND THAT A SEXUAL ACT IMPOSED ON A SLEEPING BODY IS RAPE.”
Confronted by the court, Husamettin Dogan repeated his line of defense:
“IF HE HAD TOLD ME, ‘COME, WE’LL FILM IT, WE’RE GOING TO RAPE HER,’ I WOULD NEVER HAVE GONE!”
The victim’s response was immediate, cutting through the courtroom:
“AT WHAT POINT DID I GIVE YOU MY CONSENT? NEVER! SO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR YOUR ACTIONS AND STOP HIDING BEHIND YOUR COWARDICE!”
Her words reverberated far beyond the courtroom walls.
Now a global symbol in the fight against chemical submission and the culture of rape, Gisèle Pélicot has turned her personal trauma into a universal cause.
The verdict, expected this afternoon, could close not only a judicial chapter but also mark a turning point — the moment when a woman’s silence will never again be mistaken for consent.