The Democratic Rally (Disy) party is set to propose a law amendment making it a criminal offence to cover one’s face when participating in demonstrations.
Speaking at a press conference today, Disy MP, Nikos Tornaritis stated that the party informed the House Legal Affairs Committee that they would submit a legislative proposal to the plenary session on Thursday.
The proposal seeks to establish the act of participating in a protest or gathering with the deliberate covering of one’s face, and with the intention of committing a crime, as a criminal offence.
The purpose of the proposed law is to safeguard and ensure the right to peaceful assembly, as enshrined in the Constitution and the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the EU, Tornaritis argued.
The conservative MP stressed that the proposal aims to align with the jurisprudence of the European Court of Human Rights, which obliges the State to protect the smooth conduct of citizens’ demonstrations from elements seeking to disrupt them. He claimed, “Every citizen must be able to demonstrate freely without fear and without being threatened that they could become victims of someone who deliberately conceals their face to commit specific criminal acts, once this legislation is passed.”
Tornaritis stressed that “the few individuals with masks cannot repeat incidents that have tarnished the Republic of Cyprus, our culture, and our humanity.”
According to the proposed law amendment, “a person participating in a demonstration or gathering with the intention of obstructing the verification of their identity by deliberately covering or altering their face, using any means or objects, without reasonable cause,” under conditions that give rise to reasonable suspicion of the commission of any offence, will be deemed guilty of an offence. In case of conviction, the individual will face a prison sentence not exceeding two years or a fine not exceeding €4,000, or both penalties.
When asked if the proposed law would also apply to sports stadiums, Tornaritis clarified that it specifically addresses gatherings and demonstrations, pointing out that there is already stringent legislation in place regarding sporting events.
