Rape trial in France The woman defending the "monstrous" rapist

France's best-known criminal defense lawyer talks about her client Dominique Pélicot in an interview. For her, one thing is clear: every person deserves a fair trial.

Béatrice Zavarro is probably the most famous criminal defense lawyer in France at the moment. She can be seen everywhere in the media with her distinctive red glasses. She represents Dominique Pélicot. The man who drugged and raped his wife for ten years. When his wife was unconscious, the accused watched as over 90 other strange men raped his wife. He filmed the acts.

But how did it come about that the lawyer took on the case of the century? She told "20 Minuten": "He wrote me a letter and I then visited him in prison. We talked about his dossier there." The lawyer had no doubts: "I thought about it and he trusted me. When I spoke to him, he was spontaneous and honest about everything. That's when I agreed to defend him. I found it interesting to represent him."

For Zavarro, a person is a person

In the media and among the general public, the perpetrator is referred to as a "monster". Zavarro has a different opinion: "I represent a man who carried out monstrous acts. But I don't represent a monster." Pélicot remains a human being with a background and a chaotic life. The lawyer does not want to relativize anything: "But we are all men and women, and some have faults and deviations, but we remain human despite everything. He has done something bad, that is undeniable, but he is not a monster."

The perpetrator does not deny anything and admits to all the acts he is accused of having committed. Zavarro says it is not a defense strategy, but rather: "He admitted everything from the beginning. That shows his spontaneity. He is telling his truth." And, he completely regrets his actions. "He is infinitely sorry that he carried out these acts. And I'm not just saying that because I'm his lawyer. This man has also lost everything."

"20 Minuten" follows up and asks whether this is not due to self-pity. The lawyer replies in the negative: "If we assume that he is involved in the things we know about, then he won't gain any sympathy. People will never think that he is likeable, that he is a good man. You could never think that this man loves his family."

The perpetrator thinks of his family

But Zavarro could say the opposite is true. He always tries to protect the family's interests. "He's not trapped in this ego perspective, he doesn't think of himself first. He thinks about his family and his wife first and regrets things to his wife."

Viewers, the media and the French population are asking themselves one question: how can the lawyer defend such a person who has done such terrible things? Zavarro answers reflectively: "I am not the one who judges. What he did is monstrous, I think so, but my feelings as a woman are of no interest to anyone. I'm not here as a woman either, I'm representing him as a lawyer, as his defense attorney."

The lawyer is convinced that every person deserves a proper defense and a fair trial. "We are in France, everyone has the right to a fair trial, we are not in a country where a verdict is reached within a few minutes, not at all," explains the lawyer.

"It's not easy to defend the nation's most hated husband"

However, it's not quite that simple: "But it's certainly not easy to defend the nation's most hated husband at the moment. At the moment, I'm simply trying to fulfill my responsibility as defender in this case as best I can. And everything else will come later."

The lawyer herself has never been the target of hateful comments, phone calls or emails. But people ask how she can do this job. Zarravo replies: "I'm just doing my job. I chose this job and I do it to the best of my ability."

And what's more, there are people all over the country who have done bad things. These people also need a lawyer. "He may have done slightly worse, more extraordinary things, but he remains a human being who is entitled to a proper defense," Zavarro concludes.