A woman featured in a viral video that appears to show her being beaten by a monk with a belt has claimed that the footage is fake.
Elena Roussou took to Facebook to express her “deep sadness” that people had been forced to see the video, which she says shows her being “brutally beaten” by a monk at the Monastery of Saint Habakkuk.
Roussou claims that the video is “doctored” and that the argument between her and the monk was due to a “misunderstanding for which I was to blame.”
She says that she did not suffer any injuries as a result of the incident and that she has no complaints against the monk.
“Our misunderstanding was resolved and since the next day our relations have been as good as before,” she wrote. “These things happen even in the best of families! I have also stated this to the police.”
In a second post, Roussou denied claims that she had been abducted or coerced.
“I had plenty of opportunities if I wanted to ‘escape’,” she wrote. “So the talk of abduction, extortion or bribery is completely untrue and targeted. The video that was published is edited and does not correspond to reality, it is false.”
The Personal Data Protection Commissioner has ordered the removal of the video, she claims.
Roussou also said that she would not “play the game” of any bishop or anyone who claims to be “concerned.”
The incident has sparked outrage in Cyprus, with many people calling for the monk to be punished.
Read more:
