The China Mail - 'Alone against world': lawyer defending Frenchman in mass rape trial

"I stand alone against the world," Zavarro, who has faced intense public scrutiny over the past few weeks, told AFP in the southeastern French city of Avignon.

The 55-year-old is a lawyer for Pelicot, who, if convicted, would emerge from the trial with a record as one of France's worst sex offenders.

Pelicot, 71, is in the dock with 50 other men aged between 26 and 74, many of whom have denied the accusations of raping his then wife Gisele.

The case has sparked horror, protests and a debate about male violence in French society.

But Zavarro refuses to describe her client as a "monster," insisting she is a lawyer for a man who has committed "monstrous" crimes.

"In France, under the rule of law, everyone has the right to be defended," said the petite woman, who is paid by the government for handling the case.

Anyone taken into custody in France is officially entitled to have a lawyer and may benefit from legal aid.

Zavarro admitted she had "underestimated the media impact" of the trial, which is set to last until December and has attracted widespread public attention around the world.

Lawyers for some of the accused say they have been harassed on social media and Zavarro has felt the heat too.

"You'd better be careful," one passer-by told her in early September.

Zavarro, who is not present on social media, has not been bullied online but her aide has received threatening phone calls.

One of her former clients recommended her to Dominique Pelicot, when the two men met in a Marseille prison.

"I decided to defend Dominique Pelicot because he asked me to," said Zavarro.

"He placed his trust in me," added the Marseille-based attorney.

Pelicot has admitted the charges, calling himself a "rapist".

But he insists he is no different from the dozens of other men he recruited online to take part in the sexual abuse, alleging they all knew what they were signing up for.

Many co-defendants deny this, accusing him of manipulating them into raping his spouse of 50 years.

- 'Great finesse' -

Zavarro said her mission was "for us to understand, even if we detest him" how he was able to commit "these detestable acts".

"From the moment I defend a man who I'm told is a liar, a manipulator, someone who fooled everyone, I have to try to establish the truth," she added.

She sometimes finds herself in the unusual situation of supporting the arguments of the plaintiffs, at the risk of taking on the role of prosecutor.

"She walks a fine line," said Antoine Camus, a lawyer representing Gisele Pelicot.

"Her position is far from clear-cut but she shows great finesse."

Camus pointed to Zavarro's nuanced approach, saying she had not reduced "the monster" to his crimes and had sought to demonstrate that Pelicot has two identities "co-existing" inside himself.

Zavarro, who was sworn in as a member of the Marseille Bar in 1996, acknowledged that criminal law might be considered an unusual choice for a person who "hates" arguments.

"I wasn't necessarily destined for this field. My size, my voice or the fact that I was a woman might have stopped some people," she said.

She said she treasured the opportunity to provide quality legal representation and give back people "a bit of dignity".

"To do this job, you have to love people," she explained.

- 'Petite but feisty' -

Zavarro is no stranger to controversy.

She defended Christine Deviers-Joncour, a former mistress of ex-foreign minister Roland Dumas, who testified in court in 2001 that she was paid millions of dollars to influence him.

She also represented the father of Madison, a five-year-old girl abducted and murdered in southeastern France in 2006 and whose killer was in 2008 sentenced to 30 years imprisonment.

Colleagues hold her in high esteem.

Patrick Gontard, who has practiced law for 45 years, described her as "stubborn, very calm and courageous", adding that she had to play the "bad guy".

Myriam Greco, who defended Madison's murderer, said Zavarro was "an iron fist in a velvet glove".

"She is a petite but feisty woman who can get her claws out but doesn't show off," Greco added.

To defend Dominique Pelicot, Zavarro set up a temporary base in Avignon, where she is staying in a working-class suburb.

She prefers to walk the two kilometres (1.2 miles) to the court to "free her mind", accompanied by her husband Edouard.

Her partner of 30 years is sometimes mistaken for her bodyguard because of his imposing size.

"She is tough and doesn't open up much," he said.

"So I play the jester to cheer her up."

R.Yeung--ThChM