Gisèle Pelicot comments as the sole man who appealed his rape conviction has his sentence increased

Husamettin Dogan, a 44-year-old father and convicted rapist, has had his sentence increased from nine to 10 years for the assault on Pelicot

Warning: This article contains discussions of rape that may be distressing to some readers.

Gisèle Pelicot has denounced the horrific actions of her attackers as she continues to shift the blame from rape victims to the perpetrators.

The 72-year-old mother, who suffered nearly a decade of brutal sexual assaults after being drugged by her ex-husband, once again expressed solidarity with all victims of abuse, as the only man who appealed his conviction for raping her had his sentence increased.

"For me, the damage is done - I will need to rebuild from these ruins, and I believe I’m on the right path - but what I want to tell others is that I never regretted my decisions, from filing a legal complaint to today," she stated at the court in Nîmes, in the south of France.

"I want to tell victims to never be ashamed of what was forced upon them, because they are never responsible."

Husamettin Dogan, a 44-year-old father and convicted rapist, has had his sentence increased from nine years to 10 for the assault on Pelicot (CHRISTOPHE SIMON/AFP via Getty Images)

Gisèle has become a symbol of bravery and resilience after she chose to reveal her identity in the trial of 51 men who raped her while she was unconscious. Her ex-husband, Dominique Pelicot, was convicted of mixing sedatives into her food and inviting strangers to abuse her in their home in Mazan - a commune in southeastern France - between 2011 and 2020.

Among the other 50 men convicted was 44-year-old Husamettin Dogan, who had initially received a nine-year prison sentence, but as of yesterday (October 10), it was extended to 10 years.

In his appeal, he argued that Dominique manipulated him and claimed he never raped her, asserting he made 'love' to her instead.

However, the appeal court was presented with disturbing footage of Dogan assaulting Gisèle while she lay unconscious and snoring during the attack, with judges even learning that she was at risk of suffocation due to her comatose condition.

Gisèle Pelicot criticized Dogan for asserting that his assault on her was consensual

In court, Pelicot addressed him directly, stating: “You haven’t understood. When will you admit you raped me? Raping an unconscious woman is a crime. When did I ever consent? Never."

Dogan described the recordings as 'sex scenes', but Pelicot firmly replied: “This is not a sex scene, it is rape. And without a condom.”

She mentioned that watching the evidence during the investigation left 'these scenes imprinted into my memory forever'.

For years, Pelicot believed her memory loss was due to illness, unaware she was being drugged into 'a state of general anaesthesia'.

She now suffers from multiple lifelong health issues, including several sexually transmitted diseases that require ongoing treatment.

The crimes were only uncovered after her ex-husband was caught filming under a woman’s skirt in a supermarket in 2020.

If you’ve been affected by any of the issues in this article, you can contact The National Sexual Assault Hotline at 800.656.HOPE (4673), available 24/7. Or you can chat online via online.rainn.org