The victim of multiple rapes, Gisele Pelicot, criticizes the 'cowardice' of those accused of torture Debate News

A number of men on trial in France said they did not know they were raping, accusing the husband of exploitation.

Gisele Pelicot, who was raped by her husband ten years ago, criticized the cowardice of many men accused of abusing her who said they did not know it was rape.

Her husband, Dominique Pelicot, recently admitted that he drugged her and invited strangers into their home to rape her while she was unconscious in one of France's most dramatic crimes in recent history.

Most of the 50 men on trial said that they did not know that they were raping her, did not intend to rape her or put all the blame on their husband who they said was the one who abused them.

“For me, this is a test of cowardice. There is no other way to explain it,” said Gisele Pelicot on Tuesday, adding that there was no excuse for abusing her while she was unconscious.

A video recorded by her husband and shown in court a few weeks ago showed her motionless, sometimes snoring, while the defendant tortured her.

“When you enter a room and see a still body, at what time?” [do you decide] I don't answer,” he said while talking to the suspects, many of whom were in court. “Why didn't you go immediately and report to the police?”

Gisele Pelicot learned of the abuse four years ago when the police came across videos and photos that her husband recorded of the abuse he planned.

She told the court that she was angry with the defendant, especially because there is no way she could end her grief if she abandoned her husband.

“They must take responsibility for their actions. They rap. Rape is rape,” he added.

This is the third time Gisele Pelicot has spoken to the court in Avignon in the south of France as this case is heading towards issuing its decisions and sentences on December 20.

Under French law, Gisele Pelicot could have asked for the case to be closed behind closed doors. Instead, she asked for it to be made public, saying she hoped it would help other women to speak up and show that victims have nothing to be ashamed of.

“It is time for the community to look at this community that likes to be raped,” he told the court. She said she would never forgive her husband.

This case shocked the country and started protests across the country in support of Gisele Pelicot, who has become a symbol of the struggle against sexual violence in France.