Gisèle Pelicot, a “brave French woman” who gained international recognition after giving public testimony in a gang rape trial last year, has been given France’s highest honor.
The 72-year-old has been named a Knight of the Legion of Honor, the country’s highest civilian award, in a list announced ahead of France’s Bastille Day.
This woman waived her right to privacy during a significant legal case against her husband, who drugged and raped her, as well as invited dozens of strangers to abuse her over a period of nearly a decade.
He was present almost every day of the trial that ended in December 2024, when 72-year-old Dominique Pelicot was sentenced to a maximum of 20 years in prison for rape, according to the BBC. He admitted at trial that he drugged her and recruited about 50 men to rape her while she was unconscious in bed, and all of them were found guilty of at least one charge.
“I want all women who have been raped to say: Madame Pelicot did it, I can too,” Pelicot previously told reporters.
The brave woman added that she wanted to make “shame swap sides” from the victim to the rapist.
French President Emmanuel Macron has praised Pelicot. Macron publicly paid tribute to her as a pioneer, adding that her “dignity and courage have moved and inspired France and the world.”
Her lawyer said that a memoir detailing her story in Gisèle Pelicot’s own words will be published in early 2026.
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BBC’s reporting contributed to this article.
