The news that Greek-born Chrysoula Zacharopoulou has fallen like a thunderbolt in France, Minister of State for Development, Francophonie and International Cooperation in the Macron government, is under investigation by prosecutors after being accused of two rapes.[/B] Her acts were allegedly committed in the course of her duties as a gynaecologist.
The matter was revealed yesterday by the French magazine "Marianne," according to which the Paris prosecutor's office has opened an investigation. According to information cited by the magazine, two complaints of rape have been filed against 46-year-old Chrysoula Zacharopoulou.
According to the French network BFMTV, last month two complaints were filed against her by two women for "penetration without consent" in the context of her practice as a gynecologist, with the women claiming that they felt they had been raped.
The first complaint against Zacharopoulou was filed on May 25 while the Paris prosecutor's office told Marianne magazine that an investigation was launched two days later on May 27.
According to information confirmed by the prosecutor's office, the second complaint was filed on June 16, while both incidents allegedly took place "in a medical setting" in 2016 against an adult woman.
Macron's Greek-born deputy minister is accused of carrying out medical procedures, including vaginal or anal penetration, without having obtained prior consent from her patients, the French press commented.
What her former patient complains
Meanwhile, a former patient of the gynaecologist, nicknamed "Jade", spoke to Agence France-Presse pointing out that she had visited Ms Zacharopoulou because of the problem of endometriosis she was experiencing.
"Jade", who is now 26 and lives in the Paris region, had an appointment with the doctor in her office in 2016, except that the examination was carried out in the presence of a medical intern.
According to what the 26-year-old French woman recounts, the gynecologist "forced the intern doctor to examine her."
"She felt that I was not comfortable at all, neither was he, my body was closed, blocked, he felt it," as "Jade" reports. "Then it was her turn. She told me, using familiar terms: "You have to open up. Me, I'm not him." She was trying, trying, not happy at all. I was very nervous and blocked," she added."
The young woman said she did not remember if the gynecologist had obtained her consent before examining her. She claims, however, that she experienced this event "at least as a sexual assault", although so far she has not filed a complaint against her.
The two complainants spoke to a French network
The two complainants spoke yesterday about their traumatic experience on a programme on the French network "TMC".
The first claimed that she refused a rectal examination during a consultation in January 2016, an act which, however, was imposed on her by Zacharopoulou.
"I tell her no. I see that she doesn't listen to me and wears her medical glove. I started crying. I couldn't speak, I couldn't breathe, I felt cut off from everything. I cried silently. I said I was in pain and she told me: No, everything is fine, it's just a digital rectal examination."
The second complainant visited Chrysoula Zacharopoulou for an endometriosis problem and describes her experience in June 2016. She recalls that she underwent a "vaginal examination without being told anything by the gynecologist, unexpectedly, which caused me intense discomfort and I immediately burst into tears."
The woman claims that she also underwent an anal examination "again without consent," during which she burst into tears "because it is a brutal, violent, very painful procedure. I was terrified". She told the show that she was experiencing post-traumatic shock "that is difficult to manage even today."
The challenge for the French judiciary is whether these medical acts without patient consent can be criminalized.
From Chrysoula Zacharopoulou's side, there was no comment however, her lawyer told "Quotidien" that the deputy minister is bound by medical confidentiality and cannot talk about her patients.
MEP since 2019, deputy minister since 20 May
Chrysoula Zacharopoulou joined Elizabeth Bourne's government on 20 May. She has been a Member of the European Parliament since 2 July 2019, a position she left to join the government.
She fought hard to have endometriosis recognised as an underlying condition, with a special petition submitted to the French President on 11 January 2022.
She was also honoured by the President of France, François Hollande, with the Order of the Knight of the National Order of Merit, for her contribution to medical issues and in particular to the issue of endometriosis. She studied in Italy and worked for years in a university hospital in Paris.
Her European career
In November 2021, the EU's Foreign Affairs Council will adopt a decision on the European Union's foreign policy.EU endorsed the proposal by Josep Borel and appointed Zacharopoulou as the focal person for strengthening coordination among EU Member States and accelerating efforts to share COVID-19 vaccine doses, especially in Africa.
In December, she accompanied the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, and the French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, Jean-Yves Le-Driand, on official trips to Senegal.
It is worth noting that Chrysoula Zacharopoulou is the second French government minister to be accused of rape. It was preceded by Damien Abad, Minister of Solidarity and People with Disabilities, who was accused shortly after becoming minister of having raped two women in late 2010 and early 2011.
He denied these accusations, citing that he suffers from a rare disease that makes him physically incapable of committing the crimes of which he is accused.
Originally from Corinth and studied in Italy
Chrysoula Zacharopoulou, a distinguished gynaecologist originally from Corinth, studied in Italy and worked for years at a University Hospital in Paris.
"I was born in Greece, then I lived in Italy for 14 years, and for the last 12 years I have been living and working in France, I am married to a Frenchman. I am a child of Europe," she said in a 2019 interview.
"I know what it means to be a European citizen, I know what Europe has given me, how much I owe to Europe, and right now it is my duty to step forward and say that we Europeans are very lucky to live in this part of the world where there is democracy, where there is peace."
Source: Proto Thema
Contents of this article including associated images are belongs Cyprus Times
Views & opinions expressed are those of the author and/or Cyprus Times
Source
