Greek Court Convicts Accuser in Rape Case That Shook the Country's #MeToo Movement

Five years ago, the arrest of Petros Filippidis, one of Greece's most beloved actors, became a defining moment in the country's reckoning with sexual abuse.

By Lia Kontopoulou

This week, the case took a stark turn: a court convicted one of his accusers of lying.

A single-judge court in Athens found the woman, who had accused Mr. Filippidis of rape, guilty of false accusation and perjury.

It sentenced

The woman has not been publicly named.

"Shame," a spectator shouted as the verdict was read.The judge defended his decision from the bench.

"If I am wrong, I am human and it can happen," he said. "Be sure that I acted according to my conscience."

Mr. Filippidis, a fixture of Greek television comedy and the stage for decades, was arrested and jailed pending trial in 2021 after several women came forward.

A court later acquitted him of raping this accuser, and he filed a complaint against her. In a separate case, an appeals court convicted him of two attempted rapes and gave him a three-year suspended sentence.

"Slowly the truth is coming out," Mr. Filippidis told reporters after Tuesday's ruling. "It takes time, but it comes out."

His case erupted at the height of Greece's #MeToo movement.

The movement was ignited in early 2021 when Sofia Bekatorou, an Olympic gold medalist in sailing, publicly described being sexually assaulted by a sports official.

Within weeks, women across Greek theater, film and sport were telling their stories in a country where such allegations had long been met with silence.

The wave toppled powerful figures, including the artistic director of the National Theatre, and gripped the nation for months.

Tuesday's verdict is likely to reopen that debate. Some will see vindication for a man they believe was wrongly accused.

Others will fear that convicting an accuser could make women more reluctant to come forward.

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Five years ago, the arrest of Petros Filippidis, one of Greece's most beloved actors, became a defining moment in the country's reckoning with sexual abuse.

By Lia Kontopoulou

This week, the case took a stark turn: a court convicted one of his accusers of lying.

A single-judge court in Athens found the woman, who had accused Mr. Filippidis of rape, guilty of false accusation and perjury.

It sentenced her to 12 months in prison, suspended for three years. The judge overruled the prosecutor, who had asked for her acquittal.

The woman has not been publicly named.

"Shame," a spectator shouted as the verdict was read.The judge defended his decision from the bench.

"If I am wrong, I am human and it can happen," he said. "Be sure that I acted according to my conscience."

Mr. Filippidis, a fixture of Greek television comedy and the stage for decades, was arrested and jailed pending trial in 2021 after several women came forward.

A court later acquitted him of raping this accuser, and he filed a complaint against her. In a separate case, an appeals court convicted him of two attempted rapes and gave him a three-year suspended sentence.

"Slowly the truth is coming out," Mr. Filippidis told reporters after Tuesday's ruling. "It takes time, but it comes out."

His case erupted at the height of Greece's #MeToo movement.

The movement was ignited in early 2021 when Sofia Bekatorou, an Olympic gold medalist in sailing, publicly described being sexually assaulted by a sports official.

Within weeks, women across Greek theater, film and sport were telling their stories in a country where such allegations had long been met with silence.

The wave toppled powerful figures, including the artistic director of the National Theatre, and gripped the nation for months.

Tuesday's verdict is likely to reopen that debate. Some will see vindication for a man they believe was wrongly accused.

Others will fear that convicting an accuser could make women more reluctant to come forward.

Διαβάστε περισσότερα στο iefimerida.gr