A teenage British tourist in the town of Ayia Napa, Cyprus reported that she was brutally gang-raped. The victim reported that she was coerced into signing a 'confession' by the lead investigator: Marios Christou.

On 30 December 2019, the rape victim was found guilty of 'public mischief' charge that carries up to a year in prison plus a fine.

What we know so far:

1. Investigator Marios Christou submitted false evidence to the court including a confession he alleges was from the victim. The confession was written in very broken English, or as the experts would say "Greek English" exactly how Mr. Christou speaks/writes. The victim is a highly educated native English speaker and it is clear she did not write the statement.
   
   
2. The alleged perpetrators recorded the rape and distributed among friends and websites without the victim's consent. The courts refuse to use video evidence in the trial against the rape victim. Even though revenge porn is a crime in the EU, the Cypriot police have chosen to not press any charges against those that distributed video of the rape.
3. Cypriot authorities have said that the victim was 'raped' in previous years and is "lying" against for "financial gains". According to a search with Interpol, the victim has not reported a previous rape. Even if she did, experiencing a previous rape does not mean one can not be raped again.
4. Forensic evidence matched the victim's testimony. DNA from the alleged rapists was found on the victim. Bruises on the victim's body matched the description of the attack.
5. The Mayor took it to his personal Facebook page, as well as to an on-camera interview with a news station stating that the victim should be punished because her rape allegations have brought "bad publicity" to the town that relies heavily on tourism. He went on to say on camera that tourists need to feel that they are safe and that can't happen with a rape allegation. On Facebook, Mayor Yiannis Karousos have used a hashtag that is widely used by Men Rights Activists hate groups.
6. An on-air interview for a news station Mayor Yiannis Karousos openly admitted that the rape victim should be punished because by her choosing to report the rape she has ruined the reputation of his town that heavily relied on tourism and the tourist's perspective that the town is safe. His motive to charge a victim for rape was for no other reason than to keep the reputation of his town.

The alleged rape victim is not allowed to leave the country and has surrounded her passport. She is in a foreign country and deserves to be home with her support network and getting the treatment that she deserves and needs to recover from the attack and the aftermath. She has to take multiple pills a day for HIV prevention treatment and is suffering from severe PTSD.