Cyprus Court Acquits Five Israeli Men in British Woman’s Rape Case

The ruling, citing contradictions in the woman's testimony and her ability to consent despite substance use, has drawn widespread criticism over systemic gender bias.

• A Cyprus court acquitted five Israeli men accused of gang-raping a British woman, citing contradictions in her testimony as the key reason for the decision.
• The court ruled that the woman’s alcohol and drug consumption did not impair her ability to consent, a finding that has been widely criticized by women’s rights advocates.
• The British woman alleged she was forcibly taken to a hotel room and sexually assaulted during a pool party in Ayia Napa in September 2023.
• The case has reignited scrutiny of Cyprus’s judicial system, with critics citing systemic gender bias and inadequate support for victims of sexual violence.
• The acquittal follows a recent European Court of Human Rights ruling that Cyprus failed to effectively investigate a similar gang-rape allegation in 2019.

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