Annita expresses ‘anguish and anger’ over ECtHR rape case furore

House president Annita Demetriou on Monday expressed “anguish and anger” over a European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) ruling which found that Cyprus had violated the human rights of a woman who had reported that she had been raped by Disy Larnaca town councillor Andreas Ttaouxis.

“As house president, as Disy leader, and as a woman in public life, I feel anguish and anger for what harms trust in institutions and in justice,” she began.

“The decision to suspend criminal prosecution, in a case highlighted by the ECtHR, was wrong, and it is not the first time the ECtHR has condemned the Republic of Cyprus for its behaviour towards women.”

As such, she said, “institutional changes” are required, including “ending the unchecked power of the legal service” and a separation of the attorney-general and deputy attorney-general’s powers by establishing two new roles: those of a director of public prosecutions (DPP) and a deputy.

“Above all, institutions must communicate their decisions to the people, to explain transparently the ‘whys’. This is a prerequisite for trust and accountability,” she said.

She added that the ECtHR had “highlighted something deeper”, with that being “the existence of gender stereotypes which lead to discrimination against women”.

“It is not a theory, it is reality. We have made progress, but we are not there yet. We need continuity, cooperation, and clear positions,” she said.

For this reason, she stressed her support for the government’s planned restructuring of the legal service, and added, “I personally take responsibility to move forward as soon as possible”.

“More transparency, more accountability, more communication with the people is what is needed,” she said.

The ECtHR found that the Republic of Cyprus had breached the woman’s human rights as set out in articles 3, 8, and 14 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR).

Article 3 prohibits inhuman or degrading treatment, article 8 protects the right to respect for private and family life, and article 14 prohibits discrimination on any ground, including sex, race, colour, language, religion, or political opinion.

The woman had reported that she had been raped in January 2011, when she was just 18 years old. However, later testimonies had, according to the legal service, raised doubts regarding the consistency of her version of events.

In December 2021, Deputy Attorney-General Savvas Angelides decided to halt the prosecution, with the woman then appealing that decision and eventually reaching the ECtHR, which awarded her €20,000 in damages and €15,470 in legal costs.

Angelides faced calls for his resignation over the weekend, with the woman herself calling on President Nikos Christodoulides to dismiss him and saying that Angelides “forever went down in Europe’s legal history as a sexist, victim blamer, incapable of guaranteeing basic human rights”.

“Thank you for your contribution to justice so far, Mr Angelides, but the time has come for you to leave,” she added.