French Woman Calls for Justice After Alleged Drugging by Official

A French woman has publicly condemned the slow pace of justice following her alleged drugging by a former senior official in the Culture Ministry. Sylvie Delezenne claims that Christian Nègre drugged her during a job interview in 2015, an incident she describes as profoundly traumatic and life-altering.

More than 240 women have accused Nègre of surreptitiously administering diuretics to them during interviews, resulting in humiliating experiences where they were forced to urinate in public. Delezenne, ten years post-alleged assault, is now speaking out to advocate for change, stating, “It prolongs the trauma.”

High Hopes Turned to Horror

Delezenne recounted her experience of traveling from Lille to Paris, filled with optimism about securing what she referred to as “my dream job.” She had been actively seeking work and networking on LinkedIn when Nègre reached out to her. The interview began positively, but took a disturbing turn after she accepted a cup of coffee from him. “I felt an unusual urge to urinate… My heart started racing, I was trembling, sweating,” she explained.

Ultimately, unable to hold it any longer, she was forced to relieve herself in a tunnel leading to a bridge over the River Seine. The humiliation of the experience was compounded when Nègre covered her with his coat as they returned to the ministry. Despite the distress, Delezenne initially attributed the incident to stress and did not reconsider it until years later, when she received a letter from the Paris judicial police in 2019, requesting her testimony.

A Pattern of Abuse

Delezenne’s case is part of a broader investigation involving over 240 women who allege that Nègre drugged them over a nine-year span. The investigation gained momentum in 2018 when a colleague reported Nègre for attempting to photograph a senior official’s legs. Police, upon searching his computer, discovered a document titled “Experiments,” which detailed the times of the alleged druggings and the women’s responses.

By 2019, Nègre was formally investigated and removed from his position in the Culture Ministry. He faces charges ranging from drugging to sexual assault, with potential penalties including up to five years in prison and a fine of €75,000. Despite these serious allegations, the trial has yet to commence, causing frustration and distress among the victims.

Ongoing Trauma and Frustration

Delezenne articulated the severe impact the incident has had on her life, including financial instability and cognitive difficulties that required speech therapy. She described feeling like a victim in a “grey area,” stating, “I wasn’t raped… I find myself at the very bottom of the ‘victim hierarchy,’ as if what I went through were less serious.”

The term “chemical submission,” which refers to the covert administration of drugs to impair a victim’s ability to resist, gained prominence in the wake of high-profile cases such as that of Gisèle Pelicot. Pelicot’s case, where she was drugged by her ex-husband, captivated public attention and highlighted the issue of drug-assisted sexual assault in France.

Delezenne and other victims express anger over the ongoing delays in the judicial process, which they feel only serve to prolong their trauma. “There’s a kind of code of silence surrounding the fact that a senior official could have acted this way for years,” she remarked, lamenting that Nègre reportedly continues to live a normal life, even taking on new work as a teacher under a different name.

Despite the mounting evidence and testimonies, justice remains elusive for Delezenne and her fellow victims. They are left grappling with the consequences of their experiences, from post-traumatic stress to isolation. Delezenne’s call for accountability underscores a significant issue within the French justice system, where the experiences of numerous victims seem to have been minimized.

As the investigation continues, the voices of those affected by Nègre’s actions are growing louder, urging that their experiences be taken seriously and that justice be served without further delay.