Cyprus Criminalizes "Revenge Porn" for Both Genders

The Plenary Session of the House of Representatives has approved a new law making the distribution of erotic content for revenge purposes a criminal offense, regardless of the victim's gender. The maximum penalty for "revenge porn" under this legislation is 14 years of imprisonment.

The bill, introduced by AKEL party MP Giorgos Koukoumas, passed with an overwhelming majority, with 34 votes in favor and only one against.

Under the newly adopted law, "revenge porn" is defined as the non-consensual sharing of explicit images or videos of a sexual nature with the intent to humiliate or damage the victim's reputation as an act of retaliation.

Previously, legislation addressing violence against women and domestic abuse allowed for sentences of up to 14 years in prison but only applied when the victim was a woman.

This new law now extends protections to both men and women, but it applies exclusively to adults.

Police data reveals that as of 2022, only 17 out of 65 complaints regarding revenge porn were filed by men. Separately, the Cybersecurity Center has recorded 338 cases involving revenge porn linked to financial extortion.