Police have begun proceedings to issue detention and deportation orders for eight Syrian nationals arrested last week on suspicion of terrorism offences.
The five-day detention order for the suspects expires at midnight, with the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) Headquarters, which led the investigation, not filing charges or seeking to extend their detention.
Sources indicate that the CID has sought legal advice on issuing detention and deportation orders. If approved by midnight, the eight detainees will remain in custody, with the possibility of charges being filed in the coming days.
However, deportation appears unlikely, as Syria is considered a war zone by Western nations and the European Union. The EU has imposed sanctions on the Syrian government of Bashar al-Assad in recent years, though it occasionally offers humanitarian support through controlled measures.
Moreover, the U.N. human rights office stated that based on evidence it has gathered, Syrian refugees who fled the ongoing Syrian civil war are facing gross human rights violations such as torture and abduction on their return to Syria, while women are subject to sexual harassment and violence.
The police have not yet clarified their intended course of action, and the information gathered remains unconfirmed.
Nikos Kallis, lawyer for one of the suspects, told philenews that his 38-year-old client has no connection to terrorism or involvement in the Syrian civil war. Kallis stated that his client has been in Cyprus for 17 years, predating the Syrian conflict, and has a family on the island.
“My client has been in Cyprus for 17 years. He is the father of three minor children, who were born in Cyprus. He has never been involved with the justice system, and suddenly, his deportation from the Republic is being attempted, while nothing has emerged against him”, Kallis said.
