If the writer retains anything from the news of the week we bid farewell to, it is the revelation of opacity, which not only provokes damaging prejudice in this place but unfortunately serves as the mother of many evils…
In the past 24 hours, we have gained a good taste of some pathologies within Cypriot society. In the context of the discussion in the Parliamentary Committee on Institutions regarding the Group of States against Corruption (GRECO) recommendations for the police force, MPs raised numerous questions in the presence of the Chief of Police and the Minister of Justice. These questions indicate that our inability to shed light promptly on sensitive cases, serving transparency, haunts us and prevents us from developing as a society.
Without further delay, we present some issues raised in the Parliament concerning recent or distant cases, adding our information:
• During the investigation of the quadruple murder in Ayia Napa, evidence of police corruption that allegedly involved financial gain emerged.
• A disciplinary case against a police officer for abusive behaviour towards a double-digit number of colleagues is still pending. The accused officer has been placed on advanced annual leave, the proceedings of the disciplinary process so far have leaked, and due to the delay, it seems to be fading away…
• A female police officer’s complaint of rape and sexual harassment against three members of the Force will not go to court, as judged by the Legal Service that her testimony does not support the content of the allegations. It should be noted that the complainant was reported to be the partner of the accused for rape.
• Firearms licenses and Republic pistols were easily granted, even to individuals with a criminal history, despite negative positions from the Attorney General and the Police Commissioner. At the same time, no information is provided to the Auditor General for a relevant audit due to political interventions.
• The new police investigation into the 2012 accident in Mouttagiaka involving the death of 17-year-old Andreas Loizou reveals, according to Reporter Cyprus, that “the file was missing statements from minors. In addition, some of the minors did not adopt parts of their statements, denying what was written about the vehicle brand of the sought driver, while they spoke of a meeting, during which, as they claim to this day, an attempt was made to challenge what they had perceived.”
For some of the above cases, public answers were given, for others, not… The issue here, of course, is not what the police can or cannot say publicly. Many others bear responsibility for the opacity and unanswered questions. There is complicity in the fact that significant events are shrouded in darkness.
To call a spade a spade, ordinary citizens, involved in cases like those mentioned above, when they saw that something was not going well, had an obligation to speak up. However, it seems they compromised. Some may have muttered, “Come on now, how can I make any sense when dealing with them?” Furthermore, the fourth estate seems no longer to be an option for those who want to expose something wrong. Let’s face it; we journalists have castrated ourselves. Some compromise with the wants of others, failing to perceive and serve society, some become ‘revolutionary journalists’ when serving a narrative, and others are simply happy that the paycheck comes at the end of the month. Personally, I feel ashamed and I am self-critical when social ills are not brought to attention. Even though more than once, my family and I have been in trouble for my writings…
