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

No one is "desperate" Fraggling, just astonished by the amount of people who get caught by these sort of things. If you want to give away your money, it's all yours.

Thank you very much, @cathyandclare - I hadn't seen that piece from Justice Abroad and it was extremely interesting

Good, too, to see claims that the GoFundMe proceeds will be properly administered / spent appropriately, and fingers crossed that it'll be so

Funny how people that "don't know what happened" , "can't possibly understand the legalese" and "this doesn't add up" at the same time know it wasn't rape, know there was no miscarriage of justice and know the crowdfunding is dodgy.

is that what you read?
All I saw was people saying they didn't know, so couldn't decide one way or another... Some people don't believe everything they read on the internet, shocking isn't it

I could tell you I am one of the lawyer working on the case, or a waitress who was working there that night, another holiday maker who was in the hall or heard everything, or the sister or girlfriend of one of the boys. I can tell you everything I want.

'Its how people operate now, kirinm, 'I know absolutely nothing about this but believe my opinion is as valid as everybody elses'- it isnt.'

Says the person who says rape is a fact of life.

Lovely.

Some people don't believe everything they read on the internet, shocking isn't it

Ohhh aren't you special?🥰

Oh I do so hope people will boycott the island. They can, of course, boycott British cities too if course. However, I don't know any UK case where medical evidence was present to show sex and suggest gang rape and the victim was imprisoned. If there is such a city, I'm happy to boycott that place.

How is it not a fact of life?

PanicAndRun
running out of argument, are we? If you can't find anything better than personal attack, you point of view is looking very weak. Chill out.

I can guarantee you that tourists in general will not boycott the island.
As long as the offer is there, so will tourists.

No I haven't. But I've already had that discussion a few times over the course of this thread and others. It's rather disheartening and depressing. That's without adding the distress (sometimes) from my own experiences.

We all gotta cope somehow.

I do hope you are wrong JosefKeller.

For the sake of other women who could be victims of crime and end up in prison.

Any young (or older) womem should know that you can easily be a victim of crime and if you are reporting it in Cyprus it could make you even more unsafe.

I think all travel info to Cyprus should flag this up. Like health warnings on cigarette packs.

Italian there have been cases in UK where where women and girls have been, eg girls who were sexually exploited having criminal records for prostitution. Also the woman who went to prison for 'falesly retracting' a rape report.

Cyrpus is a beautiful island. I lived there as a baby and as a teen. My parents still live there. The ONLY thing I have ever disliked about it is the leering men. I had a frightening experience with a man trying to buy sex from me as a teen. But the actions of some men shouldn't tar a whole island.

Sadly I have had the misfortune to have had experience of the Cypriot justice system. It's utterly corrupt and badly run. I feel so sorry for the poor woman involved. Bloody awful country and i don't understand how anyone can go on holiday there.

It's common across the world.

Probably because rape is a 'fact of life' and so meh what can you do. Rapers gonna rape, amirite? Pursuing them all would cripple the criminal justice systems and also it's not really fair is it. Males have needs.

To tell a group of women angry about a lack of decent process in a case like this 'rape is a fact of life' is very telling. Being a victim of rape is a fact of life for women and girls all around the world. Are the auctions daesh do a fact of life as well? Probably.

Cannot imagine the mentality of people who come to a thread about a horrific case of miscarriage of justice and make comments that imply this is all ok or normal and no one cares!

People do care.

I really hope people will vote with their feet. Or at least women will. The men can flock to Cyprus and then we will see how the legal system there copes if a man is attacked. Who would they blame with no woman to pin it on?!

Fraggling yes I agree some victims of trafficking have been caught up in 'the system' but it is my understanding things are changing.

As far as I am aware it was not the same tourist situation. But it may be women see the UK as a desirable destination and it may not be for them.

If women stay away from the UK if they feel it is unsafe, that is fine too.

MelroseHigginbottom it is not just the actions of some men, it is the legal system which has failed this woman.

The authorities have really mucked this up - they wanted to discredit the girl to protect their lucrative tourist industry particularly from Israel so strong armed her into denying the attack. But they didn’t bank on the rapists parents being influential and insisting on the girl being prosecuted for ‘lying’. They probably assumed given the video evidence showing their darling sons gang raping the girl with her ‘consent’ that the parents would be happy for their kids to be let go ASAP and thankful that it was all going to be hush hush.

I do hope you are wrong JosefKeller.

For the sake of other women who could be victims of crime and end up in prison.

I honestly don't think I am. Dubai is still booming, Tunisia too. When the tour operator stop offering holidays on the red sea, tourists stop coming obviously but this case won't affect holiday bookings.

I can guarantee you that tourists in general will not boycott the island

I believe you're right, however unwelcome some might find the idea. We hear these calls for boycotts all the time over whatever the latest scandal's perecived to be, but faced with a cheap deal in the sun folk will book just the same and find a way to rationalise it

JosefKeller as I say, I hope you are wrong.

Dubai is still booming, Tunisia too

Also the following, where calls for boycotts have been largely ignored:

Turkey, because of their treatment of the Kurds
Morocco, where a Brit was jailed for homosexual acts
The Algarve, because the authorities allegedly messed up a missing child investigation
China, for too many human rights abuses to mention
And of course the USA, because apparently too many vote for Trump

On the whole folk will carry on most passionately about injustices, but give up their planned holiday in some place they especially want to visit?

Not a chance ...

Sorry Fraggling, where the fuck did I say any of that, except in your head? what on earth are you talking about?

Men rape. Its what they do. Youre living in a liberal dreamworld utopia if you think otherwise.