The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) found Cyprus in violation of the European Convention in a rape complaint case, ruling that the authorities failed to conduct an effective investigation and exposed the applicant to sexist stereotypes. The Republic has been ordered to pay nearly €35,000 in damages and legal costs.

The applicant, born in 1992, reported in 2021 that she had been raped in 2011 by a 20-year-old man. Later that year, the case was dropped. The ECHR concluded that the investigation suffered from major shortcomings: inadequate collection of evidence, denial of access to the case file, and lack of sensitivity to the specific nature of sexual offences.

The Court also stressed that the language used by prosecutors and the Deputy Attorney-General reflected prejudices and gender stereotypes, leading to secondary victimisation.

Unanimously, the ECHR ruled that Cyprus breached Articles 3 and 8 of the Convention, and also Article 14 on grounds of gender discrimination.