The Justice Minister must provide answers instead of hiding
Statement by AKEL C.C. Spokesperson Stefanos Stefanou
AKEL C.C. Press Office, 4th January 2021, Nicosia
The case of the Justice Minister E.Yioliti is extremely serious and we will not let her cover up the issue unless convincing answers are given. Citizens have a right to know if one day the police will raid their homes and seize their computers, if they criticize or satirize the government and its Ministers.
The Minister of Justice subsequently stated that she would not initiate legal proceedings against the citizen in question. However, she is the one who submitted a complaint to the Police – of which she is also the political head – on an issue that she knows or should have known that concerns civil and not criminal justice. Therefore, she should not have called for the intervention of the Police. Instead of hiding, the Justice Minister must provide answers.
The Police are also called upon to give convincing answers about the excessive zeal they have shown, as well as for their dubious actions to conduct a search in a home and confiscate a computer in order to identify the owner of a satirical social media account.
Mrs. Yiolitis’ case is nothing but another example of the general arrogance and authoritarianism that characterizes the Anastasiades-DISY government. The government not only undermines those institutions that it has failed to put under its control, but is now seeking to silence citizens themselves, freedom of expression and even satire. The Government’s mentalities resemble a regime and its attitudes are dangerous to democracy and the rule of law.
The government and the Minister involved will be called to give explanations for all these actions to the competent Parliamentary Committee where AKEL has registered the relevant issue for discussion.
