Feminist icon Gisele Pelicot awarded France's top civic honour: Report

Feminist icon Gisele Pelicot awarded France’s top civic honour: Report

Pelicot has been praised globally for her courage during trial, which forced changes to France’s rape law.

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Gisele Pelicot arrives at the courthouse in Avignon, France, on December 19, 2024, to hear the verdict against the 51 men found guilty of raping her [File: Clement Mahoudeau/AFP]
Published On 13 Jul 202513 Jul 2025


Gisele Pelicot, who has been internationally hailed after testifying against her husband and dozens of other men who raped her, has been awarded France’s top civic honour. Pelicot, 72, was named knight of the Legion of Honour on a list announced before France’s July 14 national day, the AFP news agency reported on Sunday. She was among 589 people named for the honour, which recognises merit-based national service.

Pelicot refused to remain anonymous and publicly testified at a trial in 2024 against her former husband, Dominique Pelicot, who drugged her and arranged for her to be raped by dozens of men over a decade. His co-conspirators tried to claim they were unaware that the acts were not consensual and blamed the husband. Gisele Pelicot at the time called it a “trial of cowardice” and asserted there was no excuse for abusing her when she was unconscious. Her testimony gripped the world and led to Dominique Pelicot and 50 co-defendants being found guilty in the mass-rape case.


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A woman holds a poster honouring Pelicot during a demonstration to mark International Women’s Day in Madrid, Spain, March 8, 2025 [File: Susana Vera/Reuters]

Lauded for her courage in exposing the case, which forced a change in France’s rape law, she has since been named among the world’s most influential people in international lists.

Gisele Pelicot has not spoken further since the trial. She is focusing on writing a book, scheduled for release in 2026, that delves into her perspective of the ordeal, according to her lawyer.



https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/7/13/feminist-icon-gisele-pelicot-awarded-frances-top-civic-honour-report