After more than a week’s absence, and provided his state of health does not deteriorate again, the main defendant is expected to attend the hearings “under special accommodation conditions”, said Béatrice Zavarro

On Monday, a medical examination was carried out by two doctors. Their conclusions are clear: there are no longer any contraindications to Dominique Pelicot’s appearance, despite his absence when the hearing resumed this morning. The experts, mandated by the courts, have ruled that the septuagenarian will be able to attend the hearing on Tuesday morning, but under certain conditions. Adjustments will be necessary, such as regular breaks and dividing the hearings into several sessions.

Dominique Pelicot, who was hospitalized on Sunday evening with a kidney infection and a bladder stone, was unable to attend the resumption of the trial on Monday. Faced with this absence, the president of the Vaucluse criminal court ordered a medical assessment to determine his fitness to appear.

However, Dominique Pelicot’s presence at Tuesday’s hearing is not fully guaranteed. He could refuse to be removed from his cell, and only a judicial requisition would allow the use of force to compel him to appear. Nevertheless, his lawyer, Me Zavarro, is confident: “He wants to explain himself, so he will be present,” she told BFMTV on Monday evening.

Dominique Pelicot’s hospitalization: a tense and uncertain situation

For several days, Dominique Pelicot’s situation has been unclear. According to his lawyer, Me Zavarro, the accused has been suffering from kidney pains since September 6. After a brief hospitalization last week, he had not attended any hearings since last Monday. Although excused on Tuesday and Wednesday, he had still not returned on Thursday. “On Thursday, Friday and Saturday, he remained at the bottom of his cell”, explained his lawyer.

On Sunday evening, Dominique Pelicot was again hospitalized, before returning to his cell a few hours later. Me Zavarro strongly criticized the management of this situation, deploring the fact that her client, who had been suffering for more than eight days, had only recently received medical attention. She denounced a form of “hostage-taking” by the court, caught between the prison administration and the medical profession, at a time when the trial was mobilizing some 100 people.