Protesters gathered outside the Cypriot high commission before marching through London chanting “we believe her”, on the eve of the sentencing of a 19-year-old woman convicted of lying about being gang-raped in Ayia Napa. More than 100 protesters stood outside the mission with placards and banners calling for holidaymakers to boycott Cyprus. Despite the hopes of a pardon, fears grew on Monday that the judge, Michalis Papathanasiou, would deliver a tough sentence. More than 50 Israeli women, appalled by the treatment of the British 19-year-old, flew into Cyprus in a show of solidarity with Cypriot activists who have arranged a mass protest outside the court at the time of sentencing. Protesters marched from the high commission, near Piccadilly, to Parliament Square, via Trafalgar Square and Whitehall, pausing briefly outside Downing Street.

Source: The Guardian January 06, 2020 15:57 UTC