Documentary, Believe Me: The Cyprus Rape Case, to be broadcast on Tuesday 14 April 2020 on ITV
JUSTICE ABROAD
“Here When You Need Us”
Documentary, Believe Me: The Cyprus Rape Case, to be broadcast on Tuesday 14 April 2020 on ITV
A compelling programme examining the circumstances behind the treatment of Justice Abroad’s client when she reported a gang rape in Cyprus and her subsequent trial, in which Justice Abroad states we faced immense difficulties trying to ensure that this trial was fair, is due to air this Tuesday 14 April 2020 at 10.45pm on ITV.
The Executive Producer of this programme is award winning documentary maker Jamie Doran of Clover Films, the producers are Claire Burnett and Alistair Jackson, and it is presented by ITV’s News Reporter Julie Etchingham
The programme entitled ‘Believe Me: The Cyprus Rape Case’ takes an in depth look at the circumstances of the rape allegation made against the group of Israeli youths and the evidence which supports that allegation as well as examining how the teenager found herself being taken to a Cypriot Police station where for over 6 hours she was kept with no lawyer, and no translator, and where she states she was put under immense pressure to retract her allegation.
The documentary will also cover the proceedings before the Famagusta District Court which we say have been conducted with little regard to due process or elementary fairness and in breach of Cyprus’s obligations under European Union law, the European Convention on Human Rights, and the common law.
Michael Polak of Justice Abroad has been representing the teenager and assisting her family since visiting her in prison in Nicosia in August 2019. Justice Abroad, www.justiceabroad.co.uk is a an organisation which has been set up to help those trying to find their way through foreign justice systems and to assist in international human rights matters. Following what we say was an unjust conviction in December 2019, this case will be argued on appeal in the Cypriot Supreme Court later this year.
In regards to the ITV programme Michael Polak states:
‘This programme examines the treatment of the teenager by the Cypriot authorities and what we say was an alarming lack of any proper procedure and thorough investigation into her rape complaint.
It also looks into the situation in which the teenager found herself when she was taken to the Police station and kept there for over 6 hours without a lawyer or translator and where she states that immense pressure was placed upon her to retract her allegation. This is not the only case which has been reported to us where such tactics have been used by the Police.
It is beyond belief that in Cyprus interrogations in a Police station can take place without any video or audio recording and without a lawyer. This creates the perfect atmosphere for undue pressure to be placed upon those who are vulnerable.
We believe that this programme will allow viewers to gain a fuller understanding as to what has taken place in this case and how the teenager’s dream trip to the Mediterranean quickly turned into a nightmare.
We hope that the Cypriot Supreme Court will recognise the clear breaches of the teenager’s rights under European Union law, European Human Rights Law, and Cypriot law when this matter comes before it later this year. Justice Abroad, the teenager, and her family remain resolute in their quest for justice and will take the case to the European Court of Human Rights if justice cannot be obtained within the Republic of Cyprus.’
Justice Abroad has assembled a strong team to fight for justice for the teenager within the Cypriot legal system and before the European Court of Human Rights if required. This team includes Lewis Power QC, a top barrister at the English Bar from Church Court Chambers, Cypriot lawyer Nicoletta Charalambidou, an experienced human rights advocate, and Ritsa Pekri, a criminal law expert.
An outline of the grounds for appealing the teenagers conviction can be found here
The family would like to express their thanks to all of those from the United Kingdom, Israel, and the rest of the world for their generous donations to the funding appeal through Go Fund Me www.gofundme.com/f/Help-Teen-Victim-Get-Justice-In-Cyprus
The hashtag #believeme will be used for discussion of this programme.
The media is kindly requested not to seek to approach the teenager or her family but to contact Justice Abroad by email on contact@justiceabroad.co.uk or phone +44 (0)203 488 2316 in regards to any questions the media have about this case. For any publicity requests on the show itself please contact ITV Publicity Manager Tom Hodson by email tom.hodson@itv.com or phone 075 5749 4401.
Notes to Editors
Justice Abroad, www.justiceabroad.co.uk has been set up to help those trying to find their way through foreign justice systems with all the associated hurdles that presents as well as to act in international human rights cases. To assist in these situations three experts, Michael Polak, a barrister with an international practice focussed on the assistance of foreign nationals in trouble around the world and on high profile international human rights cases, David Swindle, a former Detective Superintendent who has worked on hundreds of murders and complex high profile investigations in the UK and abroad during his 34 years in the police, and David Walters MVO, a former British Diplomat with over thirty years’ experience having served in over a dozen countries around the world, have pooled their extensive experience. Justice Abroad is endeavouring to ensure that their client experiences a fair, transparent, and unbiased trial process in Cyprus.
Other matters in which Justice Abroad are currently acting include representing Uyghur brothers and businessmen Rozi and Mehmet Hemdul and Uyghur/Uzbek father and son Enwer Tursun and Ezimet Tursun who have been subject to unlawful detention by the Chinese Government in Xinyang Uyghur Autonomous Region because of their religion and ethnicity. These cases are currently being considered by the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention and the Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances.
Justice Abroad is also acting together with Christian Solidarity Worldwide to push for the release of Chinese human rights activist and pastor, Wang Yi, who is also detained for his beliefs.
Michael Polak also represents British national Niranjan Rasalingam who was subject to a hugely disproportionate sentence of 17 years imprisonment for fraud after a trial in Myanmar which fell way below international fair trial standards and elementary requirements of due process.
The Justice Abroad team have also been involved in or are currently involved in various ongoing cases throughout the world including in Morocco, Greece, Italy, the UAE, Bangladesh, Poland, and Spain with David Swindle and the Justice Abroad Spanish dedicated team actively involved in supporting families regarding reviews of the homicide of British Citizens Craig Mallon and the suspicious death of Kirsty Maxwell.