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| British Woman Who Accused Israelis of Rape in Cyprus Is Spared Prison | British Woman Who Accused Israelis of Rape in Cyprus Is Spared Prison |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| PARALIMNI, Cyprus — A British woman who was convicted last month of lying to the authorities in Cyprus when she accused a dozen Israelis of raping her in a resort town before retracting her statement will not serve any time in prison, after she was given a four-month suspended sentence on Tuesday. | |
| The woman, who said she had been pressured by the authorities to change her account, will now be allowed to return to Britain after a judge said that he was willing to give her “a second chance” in a case that has drawn international attention. | |
| The handling of her case and the guilty verdict have outraged rights groups — dozens of people, including some who had traveled from Israel, protested outside the courthouse in a show of support — and her lawyers said they planned to appeal her conviction in an effort to clear her name. | |
| Dominic Raab, the British foreign minister, said that he had “very serious concerns” about her treatment in Cyprus, telling the BBC on Sunday, “I think she’s gone through a terrible ordeal.” | |
| The local news media in Cyprus reported last week that President Nicos Anastasiades had planned to pardon the woman, who has not been publicly identified, if she received a prison term, though the suspended sentence means that he will be spared from having to make such a decision. | |
| The woman, who was 19 when she made the accusation last July, had accused the Israelis, who were ages 15 to 18, of raping her in a hotel room in Ayia Napa, in southeastern Cyprus, in July. The police arrested the young men that month but later released them after the woman retracted the accusations. | The woman, who was 19 when she made the accusation last July, had accused the Israelis, who were ages 15 to 18, of raping her in a hotel room in Ayia Napa, in southeastern Cyprus, in July. The police arrested the young men that month but later released them after the woman retracted the accusations. |
| The judge, Michalis Papathanasiou, noting that the case drew international attention, said that he would spare the British woman from prison, citing her otherwise clean criminal record, her young age and the fact that she had spent six months in Cyprus, including one month in detention, after her arrest. | |
| “I am willing to give her a second chance,” he said. Still, he made clear that he regarded her actions as serious. “The offense of public mischief is a serious one, as it seeks to mislead the authorities and divert their attention away from the serious offense,” he told the court. | |
| The judge observed that the accusations had consequences for both the British woman, because she had not been able to attend university, and the accused Israelis, because it “restricted the freedom of 12 young men.” | |
| The sentence was suspended for three years, meaning that the British woman could still go to prison if she committed another offense during that time frame, and she will have to pay 140 euros, about $156, to cover expenses for the state incurred during the trial. | |
| Her mother appeared pleased by the sentence — “we’re finally going home,” she told her daughter’s supporters after the hearing ended — but her lawyers said that the fight for justice was not over. | |
| Lewis Power, one of the defense lawyers, said that the woman had been “stripped of her dignity and human rights” and that they would take their case to the European Court of Human Rights if necessary. | |
| Nicoletta Charalambidou, another defense lawyer, said that because going through the justice system in Cyprus could take years, they would seek to expedite the process. | |
| The chief investigating officer in the case, Marios Christou, testified during her trial for public mischief that she had admitted reporting the episode because the young men “were recording her having sex” and “she felt insulted.” He also cited inconsistencies between her statement and video footage from the night in question. | The chief investigating officer in the case, Marios Christou, testified during her trial for public mischief that she had admitted reporting the episode because the young men “were recording her having sex” and “she felt insulted.” He also cited inconsistencies between her statement and video footage from the night in question. |
| The woman pleaded not guilty when her trial began in October, but she later testified that the police had pressured her into retracting her accusations, and the handling of the case by the authorities was condemned in Cyprus and Britain. | The woman pleaded not guilty when her trial began in October, but she later testified that the police had pressured her into retracting her accusations, and the handling of the case by the authorities was condemned in Cyprus and Britain. |
| Several women’s rights groups protested outside the Foreign Office and the Cypriot Embassy in London on Monday in support of the woman. They also urged Britain’s Foreign Office to “boycott Cyprus.” | Several women’s rights groups protested outside the Foreign Office and the Cypriot Embassy in London on Monday in support of the woman. They also urged Britain’s Foreign Office to “boycott Cyprus.” |
| Lucy and Verity Nevitt, the founders of the Gemini Project, a British nonprofit group that works to end sexual violence, called the woman’s treatment “inhumane.” “The message from Cypriot authorities is essentially ‘if you talk, we will silence you’,” they said in an email on Monday. | Lucy and Verity Nevitt, the founders of the Gemini Project, a British nonprofit group that works to end sexual violence, called the woman’s treatment “inhumane.” “The message from Cypriot authorities is essentially ‘if you talk, we will silence you’,” they said in an email on Monday. |
| The woman’s legal team argued that she was suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. They told the court during her trial that the police had pressured her to retract the accusations against the Israelis, although Mr. Christou, the investigating officer, testified that the police had not pressured her to change her stance. | The woman’s legal team argued that she was suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. They told the court during her trial that the police had pressured her to retract the accusations against the Israelis, although Mr. Christou, the investigating officer, testified that the police had not pressured her to change her stance. |
| The case also raised questions in Israel over consensual sex and societal pressures on young men regarding their “manliness.” Although some in the country defended the accused in this case after they were released from police custody, many were upset to see celebrations greeting them at the airport on their return | |
| Lizzy Ioannidou reported from Paralimni, and Iliana Magra from London. |