The family of a man shot dead in Ayia Napa in 2013 says it was not told that his killer, who was serving a life sentence for premeditated murder, had been released on parole, and that relatives now fear for their safety.
The chair of the Parole Board, Alexandra Lykourgou, told philenews that the law does not allow the board to consider the views of victims’ families. She said the board has recommended changing this in three reports.
According to the family, the man was released by decision of the Parole Board on 22 October, after 13 years in prison. Under the law, a person serving a life sentence can apply for conditional release after 12 years in custody.
Family’s concerns
Kostas Antoniou, son of the victim, Pantelis Antoniou, told philenews that the family had learned of the release by chance. He said they had received no prior notice and had not been asked for their views.
He said the family was unhappy with the decision and that the man had shown no remorse. He had killed a man for no reason and been jailed for life, Antoniou said, yet he was being freed after 13 years.
Antoniou said the family, four children and their mother, had been devastated, and that after all these years they still do not know why his father was killed.
He criticised the Cypriot state for not informing them, saying relatives are worried now that the man is free and do not know what to do. “We go out of the house and we are afraid,” he said.
The killing
Pantelis Antoniou, 66, was shot on 8 October 2013 while playing backgammon with a friend in an area between shops in Ayia Napa.
Shortly before 1pm, the convicted man, a taxi driver, drove up and stopped nearby with the engine running. As the two friends leaned over the board, he fired twice with a shotgun, killing Antoniou.
In April 2014, after a trial, the Larnaca-Famagusta Criminal Court found him guilty of premeditated murder and imposed the mandatory life sentence. The Court of Appeal rejected his appeal against the conviction on 22 February 2017.
Gap in the law
Lykourgou said the criteria the board considers are set by sections 14A onwards of the Prisons Law of 1996 (Law 62), and the views of the victim’s family are not among them. The board receives reports from four state departments: the police, the Psychiatric Services, the Social Welfare Services and the Prisons Department.
Because the law makes no provision for hearing families, the board cannot call witnesses itself, she said. Only the prisoner applying for release has that right, which is why the board wants its powers widened.
In its current composition, the board has submitted three reports with recommendations. These include an amendment that would allow relatives to be heard in homicide cases and the victim in rape cases, so that the board has the full picture.
The first recommendation would give the board the power to call victims or their relatives before it decides. Lykourgou said this also stems from cases in which applicants say they have contacted the victim’s family and been forgiven. The board cannot verify such claims, although it would like to.
The board has also recommended a legal duty on the police or the Prisons Department to tell victims’ families when a parole decision is pending. It further recommends that families be told the conditions of release, and that the existence of victims be taken into account when those conditions are set.
Lykourgou said that hearing families would not necessarily lead to a different decision, though board members would feel better if they could. “We will not treat the applicant unfairly because of a gap in the law,” she said.
Changes to the law can be put forward either by parliament members, through a law proposal, or by the ministry, through a government bill, she said.
Confidential decisions
Parole decisions are confidential and are not made public, Lykourgou said. Only the released prisoner, their supervisor, the Ministry of Justice and Public Order, the Prisons Department and the board have access to them.
Release conditions depend on the offence and the circumstances of each case. They may cover where the person lives, treatment, staying off drugs or a ban on going to certain areas. The released prisoner’s supervisor monitors compliance.
