The Supreme Court has dismissed an appeal by lawyer Panagiotis Kleovoulou, effectively sealing his conviction for orchestrating a violent attack at TEPAK University in Limassol in 2017.
Kleovoulou, 64, was initially sentenced to 10 months in prison by a Limassol Court in 2023 for his role in the incident. A group of roughly 20 hooded individuals stormed an event organised by the “Leftist Movement – We Want Federation,” injuring attendees and causing a disturbance.
Kleovoulou appealed the verdict, and the Court reduced his sentence to six months while upholding the conviction. He then filed a final appeal with the Supreme Court, arguing six legal points related to the Appeals Court decision.
The Supreme Court judges rejected all six points, leaving Kleovoulou with no further options for appeal within the Cypriot legal system.
Notably, Kleovoulou claimed a violation of his right to a fair trial due to comments by the former Justice Minister, demonstrations outside the courthouse, and media coverage.
The Supreme Court, however, found these arguments lacked merit, stating that the Minister’s statements did not prejudice the case, and media coverage is not grounds for overturning a verdict.
The Court also emphasised that it is not empowered to review the sentence itself, as the issues raised by Kleovoulou were not legal matters but judgements made by the lower courts.
Case background
Kleovoulou, a lawyer and member of the far-right group Nationalist Liberation Movement (EAK), was found guilty on seven counts relating to the offences of rioting, causing or inciting violence, conspiracy to commit a crime, assault, causing actual bodily harm, disorderly conduct and public insult.
The lawyer led a group of hooded men who attacked the crowd with baseball bats and stones. Kleovoulou himself had his face uncovered during the incident.
Footage from the day shows him standing calm and watching while the hooded men attacked people. He is also seen grabbing a man by the neck and punching him in the face and head.
At the end of the attack, he is heard telling the hooded men “Stop, go.”
As they were fleeing, the attackers threw out EAK leaflets.
Kleovoulou ran for MEP in the 2014 EU Parliament Elections with far-right ELAM.
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