Finns furious over convicted rape victim
The story, covered extensively in the Helsinki press, of a Finnish rape victim who was convicted by a Greek court of perjury has caused an uproar in Finland, the Athens News Agency reported yesterday. The ANA quoted Finnish newspapers as saying the woman, whose name and age were not made public, was raped by a Greek man while on holiday on the island of Kos in 1999. She pressed charges, and the man was arrested. But although a medical examination confirmed that the tourist was raped, a court cleared the alleged rapist in October 2000. The woman was not advised of that development. Moreover, in April 2002, she was summoned to face a Greek court on charges of perjury, as the alleged rapist had filed a defamation suit. The woman asked to have the case deferred, only to be informed a few days ago that she had been sentenced to 20 months’ imprisonment.
