A documentary on the case of a 19-year-old British woman who was convicted by a Cypriot court of causing public harm as she was found guilty of falsely reporting her rape by 12 Israelis in Ayia Napa last summer was reported by the British channel ITV on Tuesday night.
Friends of the young woman appeared in the documentary, stating that that day they found the 19-year-old "crying hysterically surrounded by men", while her British lawyer spoke of a "shameful judicial error".
The 19-year-old herself, whose identity has not been released, told the documentary that she was forced by the Cypriot police to withdraw her original rape complaint, saying that "there was no other way out of that police station than to sign the revocation statement". .
The Cypriot lawyer added that there is a culture of mistrust in Cyprus towards women who report rape.
During and after the screening of the documentary, British viewers posted on social media calling for a boycott of Cyprus or Ayia Napa by tourists.
In a statement to the Guardian newspaper today, a Cypriot police spokesman denied any wrongdoing in the handling of the case.
The 19-year-old's lawyers have appealed to the Supreme Court of Cyprus against the sentence and the four-month prison sentence with suspension.
The video is posted below, but for iTv copyright purposes it is not possible to view it outside the UK:
Famagusta.News / KYPE