Statement by AKEL Political Bureau member and MP Aristos Damianou after the Parliamentary Legal Affairs Committee session on the subject of the wiretapping/surveillance issues

 

9 November 2022

Before I comment on the substance of the issue, I understand that DISY MP Mr. Tornaritis has made statements claiming that DISY has “opened up roads for democracy”. In the memory of the people, the only connection of some people’s political fathers and grandfathers with democracy – not Mr. Tornaritis’ obviously, but of his Party’s – was the streets in the 1974 coup that were full of tanks and their caterpillar tracks. For that reason, when certain people invoke democracy, they had better be doubly careful because they certainly are not the ones who “paved the roads for democracy”.

As regards the issue that we have before us today. For a very long time now, we have repeatedly taken a position in public about the activity of dual-use software companies and the production of spyware, malicious software in the Republic of Cyprus. Today’s Committee session, which was the result of an ex-officio matter registered for debate by our Parliamentary Group, was particularly revealing and unquestionably confirmed our complaints, information and concerns.

More specifically, it has been confirmed that companies producing malicious spyware software are active in Cyprus.

It has been confirmed that there has been licensing and export of such products from the Republic of Cyprus.

It has also been confirmed that Departments and Services have been involved, following requests from the Office of the President of the Coalition, in a procedure on behalf of Mr. Dillian’s company WISPEAR regarding a tender that had been awarded to it in the Netherlands

Above all however it has been confirmed that the fact that a hotbed of malware production companies is active in Cyprus is not only the result of a seemingly ‘healthy business’, but primarily the result of an incitement, support from political backers. And these political backers are none other than those of the ruling government forces. That is to say, the Presidency and DISY party.

Furthermore, given that history is repeating itself resembling a farce, unfortunately the President of the Republic’s denial – that almost all this is a figment of our imagination – is similar to the denials they were also made with regards the ‘golden’ passports scandal and in the end the whole of humanity and the world has denounced Cyprus for this illegal feast of ‘golden’ passports.

We regret to note that it seems that this story will end up in a similar way regarding the case of dual-use spyware software as well, which evidently through the action of Cypriot companies have contaminated Greece and Greek public life.

For AKEL, these issues are extremely serious. They are issues affecting the rule of law, they are issues that concern human rights and democracy. For that reason, we will do everything in our power to correct procedures and legislation where necessary, but above all to change mentalities that have been entrenched in the Republic of Cyprus for the last decade [of the Anastasiades-DISY government]..