Cyprus is no longer a safe place for (young, single) women to holiday?

[Kraai]

The teen went back to her ONS's room for consensual sex. When there, 11 of his mates burst in and filmed while three of them then raped her. She went to the police and reported it. They were detained. They said it was consensual and was "with love" (I kid you not!). She was interviewed at length with no legal representation and the police decided she was lying. She was then charged with the crime of making up a crime and has been unable to come home since the summer. The guys were all allowed to return to Israel where some of them have since said things indicating she wasn't lying at all and I'm pretty sure the video was shared (from memory, which may be wrong). She's had psychological evaluation saying she's suffering badly from PTSD.

It's worth noting that the Cyprus is a very popular destination for young Israelis to let off steam before they start national service and there's a strong political tie between the two.

So, AIBU to say that Cyprus is no longer a safe destination for young woman? If the worst happens to you and you report it and the police think you're not a credible witness, YOU will end up in jail. Knowing how traumatic reporting something like a stolen wallet in a foreign police station can be, the idea that a woman would be interviewed without legal representation in a state of severe distress, however that manifests, and then not believed and charged means that men have been given free rein to rape in Cyprus. Especially if it's in a potential "grey zone".

https://www.bbc.com/news/videoandd_audio/headlines/50944483/cyprus-rape-claim-case-it-s-a-very-worrying-conviction

Aaaarghh! They were NOT acquitted. They haven't ever been tried.

Heres some physical evidence Tinkerbell, which IMO confirms it.

www.justiceabroad.co.uk/news/update-6-december-2019-evidence-of-forensic-pathologist-mario-matsakis-in-teenagers-cyprus-trial-after-reporting-group-rape?fbclid=IwAR2rO1OAI8wkYcLs-utqFnfCpWkuVzfA4-CEfOEevEV3EoEYFy3oOLl0w-I

I keep reading posts that says she was denied legal representation when she was questioned. Is this true?

Was she denied legal representation having asked for it, or did she not have it because she didn't ask? It's only here on MN and Twitter that I see the former.

Yes BoneyBackJefferson it is a world wide problem but I hope that if/when countries realise that treating womem like second class citizens is unacceptable, they will act.

India has an appalling record on rape but they are not as reliant on tourism. Loads of countries have all appalling human rights abuses and none of it is acceptable no matter the sex of the victim, of course.

But this one is so clear, normal teenage woman goes on holiday, suffers horrendous attack/rape/ordeal (cannot believe any sane person thinks this is consensual) and then is imprisoned!

Why do the authorities believe she consented to the violence and 'sex' but not being filmed? Only a person whose brain has been stewed on porn rape scenarios could imagine this was consented to. I don't believe those males had one thought she consented.

Any other sane young (or old) woman needs to think seriously if they want to risk going to a country willing to do this to someone under law punish the victim of crime!

We all know rape can happen anywhere but it's how the crime is dealt with that is of key importance here.

@Devereux1 as far as I have seen, she says she was refused representation. The police deny she was coerced into making the retraction but I can't see anything where they've commented on that particular allegation.

Key to how sage Cyprus is, I mean. The details of the rape are appaling. Thet are massively significant. But having had that happen, what happens next determines if this is a sage place to be female. Cyprus - not!

Safe

Thats why people don,t hitch hike anymore
They do.
I am on a few female solo travel pages and hitching is often suggested as a mode of travel.
I wouldn't hitch even with a companion! Ivan Miĺlat put me off forever when I read about him!!

@Fraggling No dear, I wasn't saying that. I suppose it was you who reported my comment. I was simply stating that I will never understand why o why young women will put themselves in this positions of danger. Horrible things can happen to you when you are vigilant and careful why compound your chances by a million by losing control totally. I have lived for 35 years on the Costa del Sol. I described very clearly young British girls especially in total state of inebriation so much so they couldn't even crawl, let alone walk. I have stood behind these girls at the chemist when they were asking for the morning after pill and the chemist having to explain it's prescription only and stronger than smarties and not to be used as contraception. Asking for pregnancy tests, again having to explain to them that the pregnancy hormone has to be high, not useful if the unprotected sex was yesterday! (no use of condoms, STIs, unwanted pregnacy) I am sure their parents haven't a clue the danger their daughters are putting themselves in. And, by the way, as a woman and the mother of a daughter, no I do not condone gang rape. There, sorted that for you. Saying look after yourself BEFORE anything happens to diminish the possibility of somtething happening to you is not victim blaming.

Saying look after yourself BEFORE anything happens to diminish the possibility of somtething happening to you is not victim blaming.

You may not intend it to be victim blaming, but unfortunately (1) it sits very comfortably with the large number of people who think a girl stupid enough to get into a vulnerable position pretty much deserved it, (2) it turns the focus away from what the rapist did to what the victim did.

Now I’m sure you don’t mean to do that and your actual view is that rape is so obviously abhorrent it goes without saying the rapist deserves more condemnation than the victim, but by not saying it, by not focusing on what the men did, that condemnation is not actually being heard while the condemnation of the woman is, and so the public debate about rape continues to be about what a woman did.

Going back to this specific case, for the sake of argument let’s say it is all made up. Let’s go with the official story that she consented to multiple partners but didn’t want to be filmed so made the story up, and the victims here are not the raped girl but the men who managed to get themselves in a situation where their supposedly innocent and consensual fun let to a “false“ accusation. If it hadn’t been for an understanding judge they could have gone to prison and had the rapist label for the rest of their lives! Clearly going back with your mates with a girl you don’t know then filming her without her permission is a risky and stupid thing to do. Now the boys have parties and celebrations. So where are all the well-meaning voices and comments telling them they were stupid to trust a woman they just met and that young men need to behave better and not put themselves in risky situations?

When you think about it that way, it does throw some light on the problems that underlie the well-meaning “l’m not victim-blaming but....”

Oh yeah, (3) if the debate is framed as “some men are just bad-uns who will always rape, women need to protect themselves” it conveniently turns rape into a fact of life instead of asking Why men rape, Which men rape and the most important question How do we stop men doing it?

I haven't reported anyone have you had a post deleted?

I can't remember what you're replying to and it's a very long thread, I haven't posted for ages.

Oh just had a search you've been deleted. You'll need to remind me what you said.

And why are you calling me dear?

Very weird thing to say. Channeling that awful bloke off the ads, I suppose. Patronising women when discussing rape is a bad look btw.

Excellent post Blibbybobby

I'm sick & tired of rape victims being blamed. Thoroughly sick of it.

Let's blame old people when they are robbed shall we.

Well it's like this. You know, as an old person, that younger people exist and that they will Rob you if you don't protect yourself. Stop making yourself vunerable, protect yourself or face the consequences.

Make sure you stay at home after 4pm.
Ensure you have a vicious guard dog which actively protects your home, if you don't you have nobody to blame but yourself if you are robbed at home.
Ensure you have a door camera and cctv.
Make sure your home has top security at all times.

Never ever have anything in your home worth stealing. This includes jewellery and money.
If you are attacked it is your responsibility to fight back and stop it. The fact that your attacker is fitter, younger and stronger than you, and will likely batter you to death if you do fight back is irrelevant. If you don't fight back then you are to blame and have asked for it.

If you do get robbed its probably your own fault, you had something worth stealing and you know that younger people like to steal.

They can't help it.
You need to stop provoking it.

Never let anyone into your home that you know, on the offchance they will let all their mates in and burgle you.

No one says that.

Same situation and they rape you, causing physical injury, your own fault.

Why have the government been so passive about this until now? Did the British embassy make any complaints about how that poor girl was treated by being questioned for ten hours in a police station following a horrific ordeal. Any person with an ounce of common sense can tell she was raped. The British government should not have been sitting back waiting for this disgraceful verdict to happen.

I won’t be visiting Cyprus either.
Perhaps nobody wants to accuse Israelies of being vile pieces of shit, I case, you know they get accused of being anti semetic .
Cyprus wants to protect its tourist industry.
There are plenty of places for British tourists to visit other than Cyprus, it is nothing special.
Without being hailed as a safe, family place or a great place to party what else has it got?
No reason to go there if this is how they treat tourists who have been violated.

I have contributed to the gofundme page which is looking to raise funds for her legal fees.

If there was a way of funding thd prosecution of those disgusting pigs who raped her I absolutely would. They have the semen samples, I hope they are eventually somehow brought to justice. As it is I have seen their names circulated on twitter, I hope their lives are ruined, but I somehow doubt it will happen.

Blibbyblobby excellent post.

As someone who has lived in Cyprus and knows full well what the police are like there, I believe her.

I could tell you some awful stories involving corruption, but I believe that this case is purely down to them falsely thinking it will be better for their tourist industry for this to have been fabricated.

I will not be returning.

"I believe that this case is purely down to them falsely thinking it will be better for their tourist industry for this to have been fabricated." I completely agree.

I hope it backfires on them spectacularly.

Me too Italian.

I've been speaking to my friends who still live there, both British and Cypriot and they all think the same as me.

I hope everyone boycotts it this year.

Boycotting Cyprus.
I lost a good friend who was gang raped on holiday in Greece in the 90’s. No police involvement, she was too afraid to report it. She never recovered and committed suited a few years later.
I feel so sad reading about this young girl, it’s so painful.

but I believe that this case is purely down to them falsely thinking it will be better for their tourist industry for this to have been fabricated.

Yes. Of course they could have achieved the same end by sending her home saying "the accusation was recanted" and there would have been no further coverage. I wonder why they drew this on themselves? Hatred of women? Pressure from the Israeli government? Stupidity? Feeling that she was a slut who put it out for 12 men?

If you were going to prosecute a teenager for a false rape accusation would you really pick one which involved 12 men unless you thought the single female in the room was the one morally to blame for this gang bang. sometimes I really despair of this world for women.

Rape is a fact of life