Trans woman sentenced in Egypt now under house arrest in Cyprus

A trans woman sentenced to three years in prison by an Egyptian court will serve the rest of her sentence under house arrest in Cyprus, Phileleftheros reported on Tuesday.

Tina Liasi had been transferred to Nicosia prison in late January under a prisoner transfer agreement between the two countries after concerted efforts by LGBTI advocates and others. Jailed for three years on charges of being a sex worker by a Cairo court, her protests over her conditions of custody had been widely publicised.

Liasi said that she had been moved from Nicosia prison to house arrest on May 21 where she will serve the remaining of her sentence wearing an ankle bracelet, the paper reported.

While thanking prison authorities for their assistance, respect and understanding, she nevertheless castigated the government for not acting on her request to be granted a pardon on the grounds that this is not permitted under the prisoner transfer agreement between Cyprus and Egypt.

She said that since being transferred back to Cyprus she has undergone treatment for stress, post-traumatic rest as well as surgery because she had been repeatedly raped in Egypt.

“I will never stop battling for my liberty and to be freed from this incredibly unfair conviction and the immense sadness that my own country does not view my case in a humanitarian angle but hides behind an agreement,” Phileleftheros quoted her as saying.