President Christodoulides made an unscheduled visit to the Larnaca Police headquarters and announced immediate deployment of riot police units following reports of robberies and attacks at Finikoudes.
The president ordered reinforcement of the Larnaca Police headquarters with anti-riot units from the Mobile Immediate Action Unit (MMAD) headquarters starting from 8pm, which will maintain visible presence and take all necessary actions to prevent such incidents.
“I received many messages from citizens about the unacceptable incidents occurring, mainly at Finikoudes,” Christodoulides said during his visit following the Mari explosion memorial service. He was briefed on the situation and announced immediate measures.
The president issued a public appeal to the judicial system, calling for priority trials of cases.”At the same time, with absolute respect for the separation of powers, with absolute respect for the judicial authority, I want to make a public appeal: Issues that concern society, justifiably concern society because they touch on security matters and you understand that we have an obligation to provide security to our citizens, to society,” Christodoulides said.
“Phenomena like those we see developing here in Larnaca recently, hooliganism, these attacks we often see against people working in deliveries – I hope and ask, as a public appeal without interfering with the judicial authority, these cases must be tried as a priority within one week and not left to take place in six to eight months, in one year.”
He added: “And where it is needed and this cannot be done immediately, they should be placed in detention until trial – and I repeat I absolutely respect the separation, I am not interfering so that no one comes out to tell me that I am interfering. Otherwise the message we send is that there is no punishment for actions that exceed the framework of the law.”
The president noted that courts sometimes cite a lack of detention facilities when releasing suspects. “Let them make the decisions, and it is the responsibility of the executive power to respond. We have detention facilities, we have set developments in motion, but we are ready today as executive power, and we will respond,” he said.
Christodoulides confirmed discussions with the Deputy Minister of Migration regarding changes concerning minors and with the mayor to facilitate measures addressing such incidents.
The presidential visit follows recent media reports about rising criminality in the city, particularly robberies. “This phenomenon will stop. They are also attacking tourists. But primarily it is our obligation to protect citizens’ safety. A group of 20, 30, 40 people cannot carry out such actions daily and create insecurity,” the president said.
“We are a hospitable country, we honour our international obligations, but no one should misinterpret our hospitality,” Christodoulides added.
The president indicated that new developments regarding minor detention facilities would be completed within two months, with authorities prepared to respond when judicial decisions are made.
Crackdown on migration, violence
According to official figures, Cyprus has deported over 18,000 people since the Christodoulides administration took over in 2023 and has the European Union’s highest return-to-arrival ratio at 179%.
Human rights organisations have raised concerns about Cyprus’s treatment of asylum seekers. UNHCR has alleged that Cyprus forcibly removed 25 migrants from government-controlled areas and pushed them into the UN buffer zone, preventing access to asylum procedures. Dozens of asylum seekers, including children, remained stranded in the buffer zone for months, with lawyers filing suits for illegal pushbacks and the Council of Europe reporting that two women attempted suicide due to poor conditions.
Cyprus has also faced allegations of maritime pushbacks, with advocacy groups reporting that refugees were blocked at sea without food or water, and Human Rights Watch documenting collective expulsions of Syrian asylum seekers back to Lebanon. In the most recent incident, seven migrants died and at least eleven went missing when their boat sank off Cyprus on March 17, 2025. The NGO “Alarm Phone” said it had alerted Cypriot authorities about people in distress at sea. However, the government maintains that it does not carry out pushbacks.
Cyprus also saw a significant surge in violence against migrants in 2023, including pogrom-like riots and violent attacks against racialised people in Chloraka and Limassol. The government has extended the waiting period for asylum seekers to access the labour market from one month to nine months and made naturalisation requirements extremely difficult for protection beneficiaries.
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