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

Presumably she was having consensual sex with her holiday fling at that point so she may have been laughing and may have looked like she was posing. It is irrelevant to the question of her consent to sex with 11 other fuckers who then entered the room.

I absolutely agree. Of course I agree too that her consent can be withdrawn at any time.

My question comes from reading mixed reports about this - as some pp here say the filming was with the boyfriend, other reports say it was later with the others - and wanting to understand which are the facts.

and wanting to understand which are the facts.

It might be more useful to ask the people who are making those claims for their sources, rather than expect people to watch what could be filmed rape.

The victim blaming on this thread is disgusting.

A woman is more likely to be raped/ murdered by her HUSBAND than a ONS.

So unless you are telling women not to get married to protect themselves against rape dont tell them not to have casual sex.

Habbers
You have the wrong poster.

I also will not be watching any videos. I'm also shocked anyone would suggest it.

For a start no one here wants to watch a real life rape. Not those of us posting in good faith about this case.

I am pretty certain things can be manipulated in videos and anyway, as others have said, whatever she agreed to at a moment in time, such as consensual sex with one person, does not mean she agreed to rape.

If any other women are reading this and thinking Cyprus sounds like a nice holiday destination, it does not.

www.thetimes.co.uk/article/cyprus-rape-case-i-woke-to-find-man-on-me-at-hotel-3jm6l02lr

I heard rumors of a march, does anyone know details of it?

There's another thread with info about march.. hold on I'll find it

There's a march for justice on Sunday 6th January.
It starts at 12pm outside the Cypriot embassy.
The information is on The Gemini Project Facebook and twitter

Devereux1

Habbers
You have the wrong poster. shock

I was referring to this comment?

"I have no intention of watching said video. But I keep hearing claims she laughed and posed for the video. Can anyone simply explain the facts around this repeated claim?"

Wouldn't it be more useful to ask whoever is making the claims?

@Fraggling thanks for bumping that lovely

I think the #boycottcyprus is very important - I have read that Cyprus gets 4 million tourists a year, of which roughly 1 million are British. Tourism equates to 22% of the country's GDP.

As a collective, we British women (and men who don't want their wives / daughters / sisters etc treated this way) have the power to knock 5.5% off a country's GDP, which is obviously huge.

Given this is now international news I suspect this will also deter women from other European countries from holidaying in Cyprus.

I hope we all use our power as consumers to send a message to Cyprus and other countries that if you treat women like this, we won't accept it.

I think any woman would now be very foolish to go to Ayia Napa in particular as I suspect 80-90% of women now won't go near it, and the only people left there will be groups of predatory males circulating round the small number of women who have decided to risk it.

I will never set foot in Cyprus again, now or ever.

I suspect 80-90% of women now won't go near it

It will be interesting to see just how much difference it makes, not only in Asia Napa but in the rest of the country too.

I will be going to there later this year.

Ayia Napa

Interesting that in Cyprus members of the legal profession had already asked the Attorney General to stop the proceedings. This was an interview just now on BBC breakfast.

If you are interested in the case from a Cypriot perspective, the Cyprus Mail is an interesting read. There was an article published a few days ago that mentioned that the Attorney General's predecessors had said that they would not have prosecuted.

cyprus-mail.com/tag/ayia-napa-rape-case/

It’s horrific. No it’s not safe for a female to go to Cyprus.

I don’t think it’s any better any where else though. Sadly they are decades behind and think of a woman goes back for sec with one man; not a lot will happen if it escalates. To be honest, it’s only a little better in the U.K.

It was always this way and still is.

It will be interesting to see just how much difference it makes

I think it will make quite a bit of difference, not only to Cyprus but to other party destinations like Zante, Falaraki, Magaluf. The utterly shameful way the Cypriot legal system has treated this teenager is appalling and should destroy their tourism industry. I hope it does.

But this awful case has highlighted how dangerous these club 18-30 type destinations can be - a backdrop of permissiveness, toxic masculinity, pack-mentality / group-think fuelled by alcohol and drugs makes behaviour that blokes would know was unacceptable in their own country seem OK.

I think this case will bring about a step change in attitudes towards these holidays, at least in women like me who went to these party destinations in my teens and 20s, got too drunk and snogged some boys. I now feel very lucky that I got away with it without being assaulted. I would feel deeply, deeply uncomfortable with my daughters going to any of these resorts on holiday now, not just Cyprus.

People, especially women have to more careful when abroad. Quite a few teenagers and twenties, die or are badly injured, attacked when abroad. You will not get the same level of concern/care in another country. I doubt the government will be too concerned about a few U.K. citizens demonstrating.

Also many countries are very conservative in attitudes especially people in power.

Ayia napa looks like a horrible place to spend a holiday. The brits themselves look like the worst part of it.

I think the opposite, relatively few people will be deterred.
Ayia Napa is just one resort, there are family ones near by. Cyprus has quite a large British population too. There is a lot more to Cyprus than the nightclub scene and booze cruises etc. History, wine tours up in the mountains, sports etc. Russia also has a big stake in the tourist industry.

Habbers
I was referring to this comment?
"I have no intention of watching said video. But I keep hearing claims she laughed and posed for the video. Can anyone simply explain the facts around this repeated claim?"

Blimey. So from me saying I don't ever want to watch the video, and by simple inference you could presume that's because I would find it sick to do so, you choose to take from this that I want other people to watch it? That's one strange mind you have there.

This is one of the oddest threads I've ever read. Asking of questions is jumped on with aggressive accusations by others who have said they have studied all the facts and know it all. Then when you ask these people who have far greater knowledge than others about the case, they assume all sorts of twisted things and tell you not to ask them!

No Devereux1. Most people don't want to, or haven't watched the video. You said you have kept hearing claims that she laughed and posed for the video. My question is why don't you go to the people who are making the claims for the verification you say you are seeking, rather than people on this thread who have said they don't want to watch the video.

Habbers
My question is why don't you go to the people who are making the claims for the verification you say you are seeking, rather than people on this thread who have said they don't want to watch the video.

Does MumsnetHQ know you are self-appointed arbiter for how posters find information? I have just answered your question. This is a forum on which there are many people who say they have studied all the facts. It is therefore perfectly logical to ask said people about such facts. They don't need to have watched the video, but I presume if they are equipped with the facts they are able to say what the outcome is in terms of evidence from it.

This in itself is a bizarre conversation you have started. I can't begin to fathom why you are so invested and determined to dictate to other posters what questions they ask and how they do it. If you don't or can't reply, then just don't.

This in itself is a bizarre conversation you have started.

Well I didn't start it. I was struck by your claim that you keep hearing how she laughed and posed for the video. It was very, very jarring, considering her subsequent claim that she was gang raped.

And how you asked the people on here to verify that. Rather than the people who are claiming it.

It's entirely correct that even if she is laughing and posing for the video, that does not mean she wasn't subsequently gang raped.

Where did you hear that she laughed and posed? Perhaps that would be a more useful question?

I believe her.

And for all those saying that Cyprus is safe, they’ve never felt in danger, etc- for me, that’s not the point. I have also been without incident, BUT I would like to trust that if something HAD happened to me, I would have been protected and treated well by the authorities.

I do not trust that the authorities in Cyprus have acted justly there, and therefore I wouldn’t feel safe travelling there again in future.

Oh for goodness sake Habbers, stop it. It's just an unending narrative of your view of what and how other posters post. So you were struck by my claim, bully for you, be struck then by a question which refers to something other posters have also mentioned. You just keep on and on abour some acceptibility rating in your own mind. We're allowed to ask questions you know, you are not the Ruler of Mumsnet. Just stop derailing this thread.