The trial of the terrorism case that became a major headline in Israeli media in September 2021, involving 41-year-old Azeri Orkhan Asadov, is set to enter a substantive stage.
Asadov is accused of accepting $40,000 to plan and execute a terrorist attack in Cyprus, targeting five Israelis, allegedly motivated by political reasons and recruiting individuals of Muslim origin.
Last week, the Nicosia Permanent Criminal Court rejected the defence’s objection in an interim decision during a “trial within a trial.” The defence had raised the objection in October 2023, questioning the legality of the evidence obtained from Asadov’s phone.
The court, however, concluded in a 38-page verdict that the evidence was legally obtained in compliance with constitutional provisions, thus not violating Asadov’s rights. Consequently, the court dismissed the objection in its entirety.
With this development, the trial is expected to proceed substantively, nearly three years after the arrests. The case was initially filed on November 5, 2021.
Legal Battle
Details from the recent court decision, partially accessed by the newspaper Phileleftheros, indicate that the trial is held behind closed doors.
The defence had objected when a police witness presented a digital disk with evidence from Asadov’s phone, claiming the files were private and accessed without proper authorisation. They argued it violated constitutional rights, citing privacy and discrimination based on race, nationality, and religion.
The prosecutor, Polina Efthyvoulou, argued that the extracted data were not private communications but pre-existing files on the phones. She emphasised that the alleged terrorism-related offences are inherently linked to the suspects’ religious beliefs, given the nature of terrorist motives.
The court accepted the prosecution’s stance, concluding no constitutional violations occurred. This verdict affirms that the police’s method of securing data from seized devices was lawful.
Background and Charges
Asadov’s case involves multiple false passports, surveillance of Israeli targets, and connections with anti-Zionist organizations. He is alleged to have planned a terrorist attack in Cyprus, receiving $40,000 from an individual named Mohammad for this purpose. His primary target was an internationally recognized Israeli businessman residing in Cyprus.
Asadov’s legal team includes Kostis Efstathiou, Efstathios Efstathiou, and George Kalogeridis. The second defendant, 30-year-old Muzaffar Abbas, is represented by Panos Pafitis, and the third defendant, aged 29, by Cassandra Koupari.
Initially involving six defendants, two were dismissed early on, and a third, a 22-year-old Cypriot student of Lebanese descent, received a suspended 12-month prison sentence and turned state’s witness.
The prosecution alleges that Asadov, using multiple false documents, had a firearm and planned the attack from April to September 2021, frequently traveling to northern Cyprus. He allegedly received funds to carry out the attack from a person named Mohammad, with specific targets including prominent Israeli figures living in Cyprus.
