The letter from a rapist on the cover of the newspaper Libér …

The French newspaper Liberation He decided publishes in its cover of March 8, International Women’s Day, the letter from an attacker to his victim under the title: “‘You raped you, Alma'”. The letter, which made headlines and was reproduced in its entirety, was sent by a political science student from Bordeaux, who admitted to raping his then girlfriend and partner, in 2019. The post generated a barrage of criticism, but the center-left newspaper came out today to defend its editorial decision.

The authorities of the French newspaper explained that with the publication of the letter they sought to “question and remove (the reader) from his comfort zone according to which the rapist, the monster, is the other”. In any case, Liberation admitted “several errors” and expressed its “deep regret” towards those who considered that the newspaper “minimized” something they originally intended to “denounce”.

“Letter provides unprecedented take on rape and adds complexity to needed debate, in particular to improve prevention (…) we have decided to publish this document after having assured the consent of the victim and having informed the author of the legal risks he is running, ”explained the French newspaper.

The victim was the first of several students at the Institut de science politique de Bordeaux to release charges of rape and harassment against classmates to the public in January, which sparked a wide debate in the community. French society.

The letter, titled “I raped, you raped, we raped” was severely criticized for allegedly presenting the abuse within the couple as “commonplace”. “Apart from the men who have not been victims of sexual violence, who else will this forum step out of their comfort zone?” Said feminist activist Valérie Rey-Robert, author of the book A culture of French rape.

For its part, the feminist association Dare feminism He posted on his networks: “Giving a voice to a rapist to explain rape in all its” complexity “is a shame!”.

In the letter, the 20-year-old perpetrator describes the rape as part of a “passionate relationship that knew no bounds” and says that one day “he lost control”. In addition, the perpetrator attempted to assert his behavior by indicating that he had been sexually abused as a teenager and accused society of teaching men “to put their pleasure above that of others and to get used to being in a position of power ”.