The alleged victim of a gang rape in Cyprus in 2019 at the hands of a group of Israelis lodged a formal appeal to the Cypriot supreme court Thursday.
The young British woman was found guilty of public mischief after retracting her report of gang rape by a group of Israeli youth while on vacation in Cyprus. She later said she was pressured to make the retraction by police.
Protesters gathered in support of young woman outside the courtroom, The Guardian reported and more protesters gathered outside Cyprus' embassy in the UK, Walla reported.
"She is still suffering from post-traumatic stress but she is determined to clear her name," her attorney told the Guardian.
“This case is a seminal one for the protection of human rights in Cyprus as well as the treatment of those who report sexual offences,” said Michael Polak, head of the Justice Abroad legal aid group, The Guardian reported.
“It is of the utmost importance for the woman involved to have her unjust conviction overturned, as a conviction such as this can prevent her from applying for certain jobs and is a constant reminder of what happened to her,” he went on to say.
In July of 2019, the then-19-year-old woman filed a report with the police, stating that she had been attacked by up to 12 Israeli tourists in a hotel.
However, 10 days later she signed a retraction and was charged with public mischief for filing a false complaint, although she has continued to maintain in court that she was pressured to withdraw the allegations.In January 2020, she was found guilty and handed a four-month prison sentence with a three-year delay.
Cyprus has been consistently criticized for the mishandling of cases of sexual harassment, assault and rape, with victims walking clean in the past.