Overview
- The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) ruled that Cypriot authorities failed to effectively investigate a British woman's 2019 gang rape allegation in Ayia Napa.
- The woman, then 18, retracted her statement after hours of police interrogation without legal representation, later claiming she was pressured into doing so.
- She was convicted of 'public mischief' and given a suspended sentence, but Cyprus's Supreme Court overturned the conviction in 2022 due to investigative shortcomings.
- The ECHR found breaches of Articles 3 and 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights, citing a lack of victim-sensitive procedures and systemic gender bias.
- Cyprus was ordered to pay €25,000 in damages and costs, though its attorney general has yet to reopen the investigation into the original allegations.