The government ruling forces do not understand the democratic and institutional aberration that the wiretappings constitute

 

Statement by Eleni Mavrou, AKEL Political Bureau member on the wiretapping/surveillance scandal

17 August 2022, AKEL C.C. Press Office, Nicosia

“AKEL is trying to exploit events by engaging in populism in order seeking to blame the government”, (Government Spokesman Marios Pelekanos, 8/8/2022).

“Linking cases that are unrelated to each other is nothing but an attempt at political exploitation”, (Government Spokesman Marios Pelekanos, 9/8/2022).

Until a few days ago, the government of the DISY party was responding with attacks and smears to the growing concern about the wiretapping/surveillance scandal that is shaking the whole of Europe.

It has now been substantiated that the surveillance scandal [in Greece] is directly linked to Cyprus as well. Yaron Levgoren, an official of Cytrox Holdings Zrt which developed the notorious Predator spying software, is directly linked to the spy van of Dillian and Avni through the Cypriot company Poltrex Limited.

This isn’t AKEL saying this. This is what the internationally recognised research department of the University of Toronto, Citizen Lab, is saying.  This is what the international and Cypriot media are saying. This is what the European Parliament is discussing and many others.

Will the government still insist for a long time that it is… “unsubstantiated populism” to link the wiretapping scandal with Cyprus and the case of the black spy van?

Will it – as it did with the ‘golden’ passport scandal too – continue to ignore the European Commission asking member states involved to carry out a thorough investigation of wiretapping cases?

Or will it follow the DISY government’s familiar method of covering up [scandals] as it did with the spy van?

Will the ruling DISY party and President Averof Neophytou remain silent for much longer about the services they bought from Israeli spies?

Nikos Christodoulides, who is running for the presidency, hasn’t found a single word yet to say about the surveillance case that directly concerns the government he served in for so many years?

A sinister network, dangerous for democracy and the rule of law, has long been revealed, and those who should be protecting institutions and democracy are either involved or do not understand the democratic and institutional aberration that these phenomena represent. Either way, however, it is dangerous.

And that is precisely why the case must be brought to light immediately.