Monday 13 June 2022 07:37 PM British woman cleared of lying about Cyprus gang rape to take case to European ... trends now
Lawyers for a British woman cleared of lying about a gang rape are taking her case to the European Court of Human Rights after authorities ruled out a fresh hunt for her attackers.
The 21-year-old university student, who cannot be named for legal reasons, went from victim to accused following her harrowing ordeal on the island of Cyprus in July 2019 when she was targeted by up to 12 men.
Police in the resort of Ayia Napa initially held a group of Israeli tourists in connection with the attack but they were later released and the woman was charged with 'public mischief' and accused of making the attack up.
In 2020 she was given a four-month suspended jail sentence but after an appeal, the conviction was quashed in February but the landmark victory has turned sour after the Cyprus Attorney General ruled out a new investigation.
The woman and her legal team had been hoping police would reopen the case and she would get justice but they have been left disappointed at the decision and have now taken the fight to the ECHR in Strasbourg.
Lawyers for a British woman (pictured outside court in 2020), who said up to 12 men gang raped her in Cyprus in 2019, plan to take her case to the European Court of Human rights
British lawyer Michael Polak (pictured in 2021) said it is 'only fair that an investigation by an independent objective investigator should take place'
Her lawyer Michael Polak QC, from campaign group Justice Abroad, exclusively told MailOnline: 'The Court of Appeal in Cyprus ruled her initial conviction was unsafe and it was set aside.
'The girl and her family had hoped that this would lead authorities in Cyprus to reinvestigate the case so justice could be done but they have decided not to do so and that has left us disappointed.
'The Attorney General's decision comes following the success of our client's appeal to the Supreme Court of Cyprus where that Court not only set out the many legal failures in the case against her but also covered the procedural failures in the investigation of her rape complaint.
'In Cyprus, the decision of the Attorney General to initiate or discontinue criminal prosecutions is not subject to any appeal or review. As such, there are no domestic remedies available to the our client to challenge the Attorney General's decision not to order a proper investigation into the rape complaint.'
Mr Polak explained their submission to the ECHR would argue the woman's rights under Article 3, 6, and 8 of the Convention were breached in that the probe of the original offence was so poor as to amount to a breach of the Cyprus's obligation to properly investigate and prosecute sexual crimes.
He added:' It was clear that his case was replete with investigatory failures, and it is only fair that an investigation by an
