In a courtroom in Avignon, France, a trial has gripped the nation – the case of Dominique Pelicot, accused of drugging his wife Gisèle and arranging for more than 50 men to rape her over a decade. Standing in Pelicot’s defense is lawyer Béatrice Zavarro, a petite figure tasked with the unenviable job of explaining the inexplicable actions of the man dubbed the “Monster of Mazan.”
Treading a Fine Legal Line
In her closing arguments, Zavarro did not attempt to defend Pelicot’s indefensible crimes or lessen the 20-year prison sentence sought by prosecutors. Instead, she sought to shed light on what could drive a seemingly loving husband and father to subject his wife to such unspeakable horrors.
“You are not born a pervert, you become one,” Zavarro asserted, suggesting Pelicot’s traumatic childhood had fractured his personality. She referenced experts like psychiatrist Boris Cyrulnik and philosopher Michel de Montaigne to support her case that Pelicot was a damaged man, not an evil monster.
Explaining, Not Excusing
Speaking to reporters after her summation, Zavarro emphasized that her goal was to explain, not excuse, her client’s actions. “I speak for a man – even one who has been called the devil or monster,” she said. “But I must also explain that the man who did this was not the man Gisèle married in 1973.”
“Gisèle Pelicot is not my adversary and has never been my adversary. I need to say to her: you are in this position that you did not choose to be in and I respect and recognize what you have suffered and your feeling of betrayal.
Béatrice Zavarro, Defence Lawyer
Zavarro said she took on Pelicot’s case by chance in 2021, not realizing then the scale and notoriety it would assume. When he confessed his crimes to her, she was determined to understand what could drive someone to such depravity.
A Voice for the Voiceless
The elfin lawyer said her petite stature belies her passion for taking on challenging criminal cases and giving a voice to those not heard. “I thought perhaps I could defend people whose voices are not heard,” she explained of her career choice.
While she was initially shocked that Gisèle Pelicot requested an open trial, Zavarro now believes the media coverage has made the case impossible to ignore. “If Gisèle Pelicot hadn’t opened the doors to the trial, we wouldn’t be talking about this today,” she said. “I believe, I hope, this trial will have a big impact and will lead to change.”
A Measured Defense Amid Outcry for Justice
Outside the courtroom, feminist activists have plastered the town with posters demanding justice and 20-year sentences for all the accused rapists. Zavarro herself was booed by protesters last week, but earned praise from a feminist leader for her “measured and tactful” defense that respected Gisèle Pelicot’s dignity.
“We have a problem of male violence against women and men must do something about it because if they don’t, women are going to become so frustrated and angry they will take matters into their own hands.”
Blandine Deverlanges, Leader of Feminist Group The Amazons of Avignon
As the trial nears its end, all of France is waiting to see if Pelicot and his co-defendants will receive the stiff sentences demanded by prosecutors and the public. For Béatrice Zavarro, her difficult task is nearly complete – giving a monster his voice in court, while treading carefully not to minimize his wife’s suffering. She hopes her nuanced approach and the trial’s high profile will lead to a reckoning about violence against women in France.
