Husamettin Dogan, 44, is appealing his conviction for raping Gisèle Pelicot, who had been drugged unconscious by her husband before being abused by multiple men. On the first day of his appeal trial in Nîmes, southern France, Dogan told the court he “never intended” to rape her. He admitted having sexual contact with Pelicot but said he did not know she was drugged.
Pelicot, 72, survived almost a decade of sexual abuse after her then-husband Dominique Pelicot invited men he met online to rape her while she was unconscious. She became an international figure in the fight for women’s rights when she waived her anonymity in the trial of 51 men convicted last year. Dogan is the only one of the 51 men to appeal his conviction.
Pelicot attended the appeals court with her youngest son, Florian, and once again chose to waive her anonymity. Supporters greeted her outside the courthouse with a banner reading “Gisèle, women thank you.” The presiding judge, Christian Pasta, reminded the court of the abuse she endured, including being filmed by her husband, who stored the footage on a hard drive labeled “abuse.”
Dogan was sentenced last year to nine years in prison after video evidence showed him in the Pelicots’ bedroom. At the appeal, he described his actions as unintentional, saying he respected Pelicot and “never wanted to rape this lady.” Dogan arrived at court walking with a crutch and covering his face with sunglasses and a mask, stating he is currently unemployed.
At his first trial, Dogan admitted contacting Dominique Pelicot in an online chatroom and driving to the couple’s home on the night of the incident in June 2019. He said he believed it was “just a game” and denied being a rapist. Toxicology reports presented to the appeals court confirmed that Pelicot was unconscious in the video and in a nearly fetal position. The judge noted that Dominique Pelicot held her head to prevent it from rolling to the side.
Court testimony revealed details of Dogan’s difficult upbringing. Born in Turkey, he moved to France as a child. After a fire, his family lived in emergency housing, and he later became involved in drug dealing. Dogan had prior convictions and periods of homelessness. Psychiatric experts described him as having a regular sex life with his wife while secretly arranging occasional sexual encounters through online chatrooms.
Dominique Pelicot, considered one of the worst sex offenders in modern French history, was sentenced to 20 years in prison. He will testify at the appeal trial, expected to reiterate, “I am a rapist and all the accused men in this room are rapists.”
Nine jurors—five men and four women—are hearing the case along with three judges. The verdict in Dogan’s appeal trial is expected on Thursday.
