In France, more than 200 women claim to have been drugged by a senior official from the Ministry of Culture who offered them hot drinks laced with a diuretic to make them urinate. The events occurred between 2009 and 2018, but although the accused is under judicial supervision, he can still work, which worries victims like Hiyam Zarouri, who fears that he will attack other women again.
Hiyam Zarouri was excited when a senior official from France’s prestigious Ministry of Culture contacted her on LinkedIn, offering career advice to the then-unemployed 25-year-old. But instead, she left the meeting in pain and completely humiliated.
The man, Christian Nègre, allegedly put a powerful diuretic in her coffee to make her urinate, then took her for a three-and-a-half hour walk in central Paris in high heels.
“I started having cold sweats, chills and hot flashes, a swollen stomach and my feet really hurt,” said Zarouri, now 35. AFP. “I thought I was going to die.”
Zarouri is one of about 200 women who accuse Negre, a former human resources manager, of spiking their drinks to humiliate them. Victims say he saw those interviewed writhing in pain, with some even relieving themselves in front of him.
Unlike other women who accused him, Zarouri managed to insist that they return to the ministry – where he had said she should leave her bag – so she could go to the toilet.
When he came out, he was waiting outside. She said she blamed herself for drinking coffee and wearing high heels: “I told myself it was my fault.”
It was only four years later, when the media reported similar cases, that she understood their seriousness.
Negre admitted to humiliating women
Negre ended up being charged with “administration of a noxious substance” without consent, “sexual assault” by abuse of authority, and “violation of privacy.”
Investigators found that between 2009 and 2018, he preyed on 197 women of all ages looking for work, whose names and reactions to drugs he recorded in a spreadsheet, according to a source familiar with the matter.
But many victims, including Zarouri, believe the investigation is taking too long and fear that Negre, who is under judicial supervision but can still work, will strike again. “This is unacceptable,” she said. “He should be kept away from other women.”
In 2018, Negre admitted to investigators that he had “imposed humiliating situations on women” during job interviews. The ministry fired him the following year.
The regional newspaper West of France reported in October that he had spent two years working as a professor at a business school in Normandy, under a pseudonym.
Contacted by AFP, his lawyer Vanessa Stein indicated that she refused to comment.
Pélicot affair
France has become more aware of the use of drugs to commit abuse after a court sentenced Dominique Pelicot to 20 years in prison for drugging his then-wife, Gisèle Pelicot, and recruiting dozens of strangers to rape her.
In another case, a pedophile surgeon who practiced until his retirement was convicted this year of sexually abusing more than 290 patients. Both kept meticulous records of their crimes.
The Women’s Foundation, a feminist association, says the diuretics case is as serious as this one and has already provided legal assistance to 45 of the victims.
Overworked magistrates
According to a source close to the case, the investigation is continuing, but is progressing slowly due to the number of victims, the lack of resources and the quantity of documents.
In Paris, each investigating judge handles around a hundred cases and must prioritize those in which suspects are arrested.
In the process, a single registrar must inform each of the 197 civil parties of any new stage by registered letter, and as soon as a victim requests an expert opinion, the entire procedure is delayed again.
But investigators should meet all the complainants early next year to take stock, according to AFP.
A criminal trial must also take time to organize.
On the other hand, an administrative court awarded €12,000 (around R$77,600) in compensation to a woman in 2023, holding the French state responsible for failing to protect her and six other victims.
Negre took this woman hiking in 2012. She quickly felt intense pain and was forced to urinate in front of him, under a bridge.
With AFP
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