Actress Judith Chemla, who this week revealed photos of herself on social networks with stigmata of domestic violence, called on women who are victims of it on Wednesday to “never” withdraw a complaint.
“Don’t be afraid: never, ever, ever withdraw a complaint you file. Never remove it. You will be intimidated. I was intimidated, I was made to feel guilty”, launched on France Inter the actress, on the poster of the film Tastes and colors.
Photos of his swollen face on Instagram
On Monday, she posted on Instagram three photos of her face with a swollen eye and an open cheekbone, taken in July 2021 after an attack by her companion.
“I did not premeditate this speech at all. I never imagined showing these photos,” she said on the radio.
On Instagram as on France Inter, she did not name her attacker, with whom she has a five-year-old daughter.
The July 2021 assault prompted her to file a complaint the next day, leading to police custody, indictment and judicial review, she detailed.
Eight months suspended prison sentence for his former companion
“After four months of intense harassment”, a second complaint resulted in “fifteen days” of pre-trial detention, according to her, and an eight-month suspended prison sentence was pronounced on May 12.
But, according to her, the harassment continues. ” I can not stand it anymore. I demand to have peace, ”she wrote on Instagram on Monday, wondering if she should file a complaint again.
“Despite threats, despite this sentence, he continues to think that he is a victim (…) He feels above the law”, but “he should be ashamed and keep quiet”, lamented Judith Chemla on France Inter.
The case is, for her, symptomatic of the refusal of violent men to admit their guilt. “Some women no longer have the courage to fight, and I have moving testimonies that tell me: thanks to you, I am taking up the fight again,” reported the actress.
Other actresses before her had denounced the violence suffered in their relationship, such as Sandrine Bonnaire who emerged unconscious with fractured facial bones, after an argument with a former companion twenty years ago.