Turkish defendant testifies in French gang rape scandal: 'I thought it was a sex game'

The legal battle of Gisèle Pelicot, who was drugged by her husband for years in France and raped by more than 80 men, is being closely followed around the world. 

While 72-year-old Gisèle Pelicot, whom her husband Dominique Pelicot drugged and allowed other men to rape while filming the acts, has become a heroine of the women's rights movement in France, the defendants, aged between 22 and 70, are testifying one by one in court.

One of the individuals who confirmed that Dominique Pelicot invited him to the gang rape at his home is 43-year-old Hüsamettin Doğan, who is of Turkish origin. Doğan, who migrated from Turkey to France in his youth, denied the rape allegations in court and argued with angry remarks that his reputation had been trampled upon.

Stating that he, like the other defendants, thought this was a "sex game," Doğan said, "When I approached her, I saw she wasn't moving. I asked him, 'Is your wife dead?' He told me I was imagining things." The Turkish defendant also described how Dominique Pelicot raped his wife in front of him while she was unconscious. 

'I AM NOT A RAPIST'

According to a report by Sözcü, Doğan claimed that he left the scene after hearing the unconscious woman snoring, stating, "I am not a rapist."

Dominique Pelicot, meanwhile, claimed that he had told Hüsamettin Doğan that he had sedated his wife with drugs. 

In the meantime, Gisèle Pelicot has listened to the testimonies of the rapists in the courtroom throughout the trial. The woman, who has since divorced her husband, learned about the horrific events she endured from a police officer 4 years ago.

According to local media, Dominique Pelicot found the men, many of whom are townspeople now on trial, via the internet.

News Source: 12punto