The complainant in an alleged rape case that led to a European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) condemnation of Cyprus has penned an open letter demanding Assistant Attorney General Savvas Angelides resign and calling on President Nikos Christodoulides to intervene.
The letter follows the 3 July ECHR ruling that awarded N.T. €35,470 compensation after finding Cyprus violated human rights through sexist handling of her rape allegations against politician A.T. The court ruled Cyprus breached Articles 3, 8 and 14 of the Human Rights Convention.
N.T. reported to police in 2021 that she was allegedly raped by schoolfriend A.T. in 2011 when she was 18 years old. Police opened an investigation and indicted the accused, who was forced to withdraw his candidacy from DISY’s parliamentary election ballot when allegations became public.
Prosecution suspended over complainant credibility
Angelides, who served as Defence Minister in the DISY-led government until 2020, suspended criminal proceedings based on alleged inconsistencies in N.T.’s statements and her admission that she had “liked” A.T. and possibly sent “wrong signals”.
The ECHR ruled this approach reflected “prejudices and stereotypical perceptions” rather than objective handling of gender-based violence allegations. The court criticised lack of specialised psychological assessment and failure to properly weigh conflicting testimonies.
In her open letter, N.T. states Angelides entered European legal history as “sexist, victim blamer, unable to secure basic human rights” following the judgment. She describes years of trauma requiring psychiatric treatment and medication before reporting the alleged rape.
Complainant details prosecution suspension impact
“You transformed me into an accused because I had feelings and empathy,” N.T. writes to Angelides, stating she was denied the right to speak in court and learned of prosecution suspension through media reports rather than official notification.
N.T. alleges she was denied access to case files, suspension reasoning and her own statements, whilst the accused received these documents. She quotes from her original statement, including “Please stop! Why are you tormenting me?” which she states was ignored in the legal analysis.
The letter extensively quotes ECHR findings, stating Angelides’ decision was “full of gender stereotypes,” constituted “secondary victimisation through guilt-inducing comments” and caused “erosion of victims’ trust in judicial proceedings.”
Victim requests presidential intervention
In her letter to President Christodoulides, N.T. requests restoration of “institutional and social justice” and demonstration that “women cannot be victims of the views of any sexist Assistant Attorney General.”
“Show some integrity. Even if in your own mind – ‘soaked with unbridled patriarchy’ – it makes no sense,” she writes, demanding Angelides’ resignation.
Previous ECHR condemnation
The ruling represents the second time in 2025 that the ECHR has condemned Cyprus over handling of alleged rape cases. In February, the court found violations in the 2019 Ayia Napa case involving a British teenager who retracted gang-rape allegations against Israeli tourists after police questioning without legal representation.
The ECHR found Cyprus exhibited “certain biases concerning women” that prevented effective protection of women’s rights as complainants in gender-based violence cases.
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