A state coroner has been suspended after failing to identify signs of homicide in the death of a 24-year-old Pakistani man in Nicosia.
Dr Nicolas Charalambous will be placed on administrative leave pending a disciplinary investigation into his handling of the autopsy, following his initial incorrect conclusion that the death was not criminal in nature.
The decision was made during an informal cabinet meeting held in the Troodos mountains, where ministers also appointed an investigating officer to examine potential disciplinary offences committed by the coroner.
The suspension will remain in effect until the completion of the disciplinary investigation, according to a statement from the cabinet.
The Minister of Health will formally request the Public Service Commission to implement the suspension.
The 24-year-old Pakistani man was found dead in a car parking in Strovolos on Monday. The first autopsy by Charalambous found no signs of foul play.
However, a second autopsy two days later found a 9mm bullet dodged in the victim’s back. The bullet was then linked to a service weapon used by an officer during a police chase of migrants in the buffer zone near Potamia.
Questions remain on how the body was found in Strovolos, around 20 km away from Potamia.
The killing has sparked outrage and condemnation by political parties and social groups about police’s handling of migration.
In April 2024, Anisur Rahman, a young Bangladeshi worker jumped to his death in Limassol to escape a migrant raid by authorities.
The police killings of migrants come in the backdrop of multiple attacks against migrant delivery workers across Cyprus, raising concerns about increasing racism and intolerance in local society.
In August and September 2023, far-right groups organised repeated attacks against migrants and migrant-owned businesses in Paphos and Limassol.
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Police confirms Pakistani migrant killed by service weapon
