Activists in Cyprus have described the determination of a British teenager to overturn a conviction that she lied about being gang-raped on the island as “a critical moment” for women’s rights. Ten days after the 19-year-old received a suspended four-month sentence for the offence of fomenting public mischief, her lawyers filed an appeal against the conviction before the country’s supreme court. The youths, who were aged between 15 and 22 at the time, returned home after police announced she had retracted the rape claim. The student, meanwhile, spent almost five weeks incarcerated in Nicosia general prison and was forced to relinquish her passport and remain on Cyprus. The case is also being closely watched by women’s groups in Israel who have also rushed to the Briton’s defence.

Source: The Guardian January 17, 2020 15:00 UTC