Ayia Napa gang rape: Pressure to reopen case - Israeli response

The Supreme Court on Monday acquitted the young British woman, who reported gang rape by 12 Israelis in Ayia Napa in the summer of 2019, from the sentence of four months suspended imprisonment.

The British side, although it expressed relief for the decision, nevertheless considers, according to the lawyer Michael Pollack from the organization Justice Abroad, that "if justice is to be done, the authorities should gather the evidence that has been collected in Cyprus and to manage them as they should have been done from the beginning ".

The same lawyer told Sky News that the family of the 21-year-old girl from Darby today is very happy and that it is an emotionally charged moment for them. "It's a great moment for the family and they went through a lot to prove her innocence," Polak said.

He added that he would immediately request a "proper investigation" into the alleged rape by a different police department in Cyprus and that he hoped that the authorities "would do the right thing".

According to the Times, with this decision there is a possibility that the case will be reopened and the 12 Israelis will be charged and brought to justice.

However, the Daily Mail cites a Cypriot police source who seems to rule out a re-examination of the case, saying "as far as we are concerned, it is a closed case".

In Israel, activists in the media are asking, "Will these boys go to trial or will we never know the truth?"

The Times of Israel quotes statements by the lawyer of the main suspect for the rape of the British woman. Nir Yaslovitzh argued that "the decision does not change anything. "If I understand correctly, it does not mean that they have to open the case from the beginning and that is why I am not at all worried about the future."