Cyprus press condemned for ‘harassing British woman accused of falsifying gang rape allegations’

‘The media have been aggressive in exposing and re-victimising a woman that has been in a particularly vulnerable position,’ says campaigner

A 19-year-old woman, who claims she was gang-raped by a group of young Israeli men at a hotel in the Cypriot party resort Ayia Napa in July, has said she was forced into signing a confession withdrawing the complaint (AFP/Getty)

The Cypriot press has been condemned for allegedly harassing a British woman accused of falsifying gang rape allegations and trying to take photos of her despite the fact her identity is not allowed to be revealed unless she is found guilty.

The 19-year-old woman, who claims she was gang-raped by a group of young Israeli men at a hotel in the Cypriot party resort Ayia Napa in July, has said she was forced into signing a confession withdrawing the complaint.

The young woman, who has missed out on her place at university due to the ordeal, was jailed for four and a half weeks in a prison in the capital Nicosia that has been criticised for overcrowding and degrading treatment.

She is now facing jail due to being charged with “public mischief” – an offence which carries a prison sentence of up to a year.

Cypriot organisations have called for the attorney-general to suspend her prosecution and for the woman, who has pleaded not guilty, to be allowed to walk free in an open letter.

The organisations, which include the Mediterranean Institute of Gender Studies, the Green party women’s movement, Accept LGBTI, and the association for the prevention of domestic violence, argued the teenager has suffered humiliation – as well as being mistreated by both the police and the media.

They called for an investigation into the way police dealt with the case and also criticised the way rape cases were dealt with more generally in the country and how rape victims are treated.

Christina Kaili, a project coordinator at the Mediterranean Institute of Gender Studies, told The Independent: “The media have been aggressive in exposing and re-victimising a woman that has been in a particularly vulnerable position.

“Every time she was at the court, there were journalists trying to take a picture of her face which is always covered. Since there seems to be an urge from the media side to take a picture her then there seems to be a demand for a picture.

“We have called for the attorney general to stop the re-victimisation of her and protect her privacy. The Cyprus police have changed the location of the hearing so people don’t go outside and wait for her.

“The local Cypriot press and the Greek media was sexist in their coverage of the case. Some of the reporting was not based on research and facts.”

The sociologist said the group of 11 organisations had also filed a complaint with the Cyprus Media Complaints Commission and the Cyprus Radio-television Authority – noting such complaints can lead to fines.

The young woman, who is scheduled to appear back in court next Tuesday, was released on bail at the end of August.

The teenager had made a criminal complaint to police officers, and the group of Israeli men were all arrested on 17 July.

Five of them were freed on 25 July after no evidence was found linking them to the case, while the remaining seven were released three days later after police said the woman retracted the rape allegations.

Her lawyers say she was raped and her retraction should not be allowed to be used as evidence because investigators exerted pressure on her and threatened her and her friends with arrest.

The allegation has been strongly denied by Cypriot authorities, who claim the teenager voluntarily admitted in writing to falsely accusing the Israelis.

A Cypriot court last week heard a group of young Israeli men were “aggressively” planning to have sex with the woman. The men were heard plotting in a “very bad way” to “do orgies” with the teenager, the court in Paralimni was told.

The woman has not been able to return to the UK due to her surrendering travel documents to police and having to appear at a Nicosia police station every week.

Michael Polak, a British human rights lawyer from Justice Abroad, a legal aid group providing help to the teen’s family, last week told The Independent she had been held in the women’s section of Nicosia prison where nine inmates are placed in one cell.

He said: “The process by which they obtained a retraction statement from a vulnerable and young girl who had obviously suffered a lot was very worrying. She was kept in the police station for a long time overnight without access to a lawyer or without any other support.

“This goes against what one would expect the protocols to be in regards to sexual offences. This ordeal has been very difficult for their family because they thought their daughter was coming somewhere safe where she would be protected if anything happened. It has been difficult for her having suffered such a terrible experience to remain here away from her family.”

Her alleged assailants, who had been on holiday in Cyprus, have denied any allegation of assault and have since returned to Israel.

Additional reporting by Press Association