A French judge in a shocking rape case is allowing the public to see some of the video evidence

PARIS (AP) — A French judge in the trial of dozens of men accused of raping an unconscious woman whose now-former husband repeatedly drugged her so he and others could attack her decided Friday to release one to the public Part of the video shows footage of the alleged rapes.

The decision by Judge Roger Arata in Avignon, southern France, to allow journalists and the public who attended the trial to view the footage represents a stunning turnaround in the case that has rocked France.

It follows a two-week legal battle in which journalists who followed the trial and lawyers for Gisèle Pelicot – who was allegedly raped over the course of a decade – argued that the videos were crucial to fully understanding the extraordinary trial.

Pelicot, 71, has become a symbol of the fight against sexual violence in France. She has insisted that the trial be held in public, contrary to the court's suggestion that it be held behind closed doors.

Since the hearings began on September 2nd, Pelicot has come face to face with her ex-husband Dominique Pelicot and 49 other alleged rapists almost every day. She was praised for her courage and composure and admired for speaking in a calm and clear voice and allowing her full name to be published – unusual for victims in rape trials under French law.

Her insistence that the videos recorded by her ex-husband and presented as evidence in the trial – in which men sexually abuse her seemingly sluggish body – be shown to the public reflects her desire for the trial to serve as a national example. One of her lawyers told The Associated Press.

“It's a unique case: we don't have a single depiction of rape. We have dozens, hundreds of videos of a rape,” said lawyer Stéphane Babonneau. “Gisèle Pelicot thinks this shock wave is necessary so that no one can say afterwards: 'I didn't know it was rape'.”

The explicit videos shown during the trial, which highlighted the difficulties victims of sexual violence can face in France, were particularly important, Pelicot's lawyers said The vast majority of defendants deny the rape allegations.

Some defendants claim Pelicot's husband cheated on them, others say he forced them to have sex with her and they were afraid. Still others argue that they believed she had consented or that her husband's consent was sufficient.

The videos, say the lawyers, speak for themselves.

With Friday's decision, Judge Arata overturned his earlier ruling on September 20 that the videos would only be shown on a case-by-case basis and behind closed doors. At the time he argued that they undermined the “dignity” of the hearings.

A day later, the French Judicial Press Association, supported by Pelicot's lawyers, filed a lawsuit against the decision.

Previously, journalists and the public had to leave the courtroom after each video was shown.

Jean-Philippe Deniau, a journalist who covered the justice system for France Inter Radio and followed the trial, said the videos were important for people's understanding of the case.

They would be no more disturbing than some of the evidence he had seen in the past, he said.

“When we work on trials about terrorist attacks, crimes, murders… there are always difficult moments,” Deniau said.

As an example, he mentioned how several defendants testified earlier this week that they came to the Pelicots' home in Provence to have consensual sex and that they took part in a “game” to see if they could wake up Gisèle Pelicot high.

Deniau said that after Friday's verdict, a four-minute recording from the video collection was shown to the court later in the day. In his opinion, Deniau said the video appeared to counter the defendants' claims of consensual “play.”