The international press and foreign leaders hailed Gisèle Pelicot on Thursday as the "face of courage" after her ex-husband was sentenced to 20 years' imprisonment for raping her and having her raped by dozens of strangers in south-eastern France.
All 51 defendants were found guilty on Thursday of rape, attempted rape and sexual assault. The sentences ranged from 3 to 20 years, but most of the defendants received prison terms of eight to 10 years, less than the 10- to 18-year terms the public prosecutor had recommended.
"What dignity. Thank you Gisèle Pelicot," Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said on the X social network. Spain is regarded as a pioneer in the fight against sexist and sexual violence, and over the last 20 years it has adopted highly specific legislation, particularly on the concept of consent.
Spain's Minister for Equality, Ana Redondo, has announced that a new reception centre for women victims of gender-based violence in the northern region of Asturias will be named after Gisèle Pelicot.
"With courage, you came out of anonymity to fight for justice. You have given a strong voice to women around the world. Shame is always on the side of the aggressor," German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on X.
The cover of the German daily Tageszeitung read "Thank you," next to a snapshot of Gisèle Pelicot.
The trial was covered by 180 media houses, including 86 from abroad. Major media such as CNN, the New York Times, the BCC, the Guardian and the German channel Deutsche Welle covered the verdict live.
Gisèle Pelicot has become "the face of courage" for the New York Times, which described how her image has become the symbol of a "collective turning point" for the whole world, comparable to the demonstrator standing in front of the Tiananmen tanks in 1989 or the "woman in red," symbol of the 2013 protest movement in Turkey.
She is "a woman whose husband may have destroyed her life, but did not succeed in destroying her," and whose image transcended the trial to become a catalyst for change, commented the US daily.
