«The prosecution's motion to acquit the 27-year-old accused of rape of the 24-year-old Agriculture Bika, on New Year's Eve in a luxury hotel in Thessaloniki, adds to a series of events that took place from the first moment to try to cover up the case.
Specifically, we recall the attempt to cover up and exonerate the 27-year-old accused and well-known businessman, the prosecution's statement about "distortion of the truth" by Georgia Bika, the judicial officer who behind the bruises on her legs sees the car accident that Georgia had on the day of the complaint and the attempt to refute the claim that she had menstruation and of course her proposal not to refer the case to trial. But also the prosecutor in charge of Transparency Authority issues, Vassilis Floridis, was removed from office by his boss at the Thessaloniki Appeals Prosecutor's Office, which is not common in legal circles. All of the above events confirm once again that someone who is well-known and famous is not treated in the same way by the judiciary.
Georgia had to wait three days before a forensic examiner could examine her, unable to wash herself to avoid losing the evidence. The room in which the rape took place was not isolated by the police, as it should have been, and samples taken for possible evidence. When Georgia went to report her rape she was threatened by the defendant's lawyer. The toxicology tests she underwent and the results were delayed, were delayed by 18 hours, and they did not take a blood sample as is customary in these cases but a urine sample.
Rape victims like Georgia are raped every time their testimony is questioned, every time they are asked what they were doing in that place, every time they are asked what they were wearing, or every time they are asked if they are seeking to make a profit from this case. While correspondingly no one has considered that for every rape, the only one to blame is the rapist.
As the Gender & LGBTQ+ Sector of MERA25 we stand by every victim of rape and we stand by all survivors who find the words and the courage to make a complaint. We will always fight for safe spaces where they can do so without fear. We condemn any rape cover-up that is pursued. We stand against patriarchy and the cultures it produces. We join with other collectives in the rally and march on Thursday 26/5 at 19:30 at Syntagma.
There should be no cover-up in the Georgia rape case.».
