12 February 2025 - The criminalization of assembly and protest is unacceptable
In recent days, individuals who participated in the 19 January 2025 protest over the murder of Shoaib Khan were summoned by the Cyprus Police to appear at a police station, where they were charged. The fact that after a peaceful march we had three arrests and six people charged for alleged insult and disturbance of the peace can only be perceived as intimidation.
This cannot be accepted, especially when charges are made that are not based on true facts or have no legal basis. Furthermore, we underline that we are particularly concerned about the selective attention shown by the police towards demonstrators who defend human rights and freedom of expression.
Volt MP Alexandra Attalidou, together with AKEL MP George Koukoumas, have already submitted a request for an ex officio examination before the Parliamentary Committee on Human Rights, on the subject of “The right to assembly and police protocols”. Our intention is to examine the possible violation of the Constitutional right to peaceful protest (Article 21) and the violation of Article 20 of the UN Charter of Human Rights, as well as Article 12 of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights.
The actions of the Cyprus Police are causing concern, as the arrests of demonstrators and dissidents appear to be becoming more frequent, raising questions about the protection of freedom of expression and the right to protest. After Anastasia was seriously injured at the “Os Dame” (‘Until Here’) demonstration in 2020 and 11 people were brought to court, we also saw the arrest of Oz Karahan and Giorgos Tattis for simply hanging a banner at a parade. Since when is the peaceful assembly of people prohibited in the Republic of Cyprus? Since when are the police entitled to press charges for violating the Data Protection Directive because a protester was filming during an attempt to arrest a protester without cause? For all of the above, the Volt MP also submitted a parliamentary question to determine how many criminal cases have been registered during the years 2019-2024 with members of the police as complainants.
The Cyprus Police and the Ministry of Justice must ensure the right to the presumption of innocence, as enshrined by the European Court of Justice and applicable as case law for Cypriot courts.