Akel deputies make fresh allegations of police violence

By Charlie Charalambous

FRESH allegations of police torture against the black African boat people detained in Larnaca were heard at yesterday’s House Human Rights Committee.

The committee met yesterday to view television footage showing MMAD rapid reaction police beating defenceless detainees who were lying on the ground, in an attempt to quell a disturbance on October 23.

Akel deputy Kikis Yiangou said this was not the first time that riot police had used brutal tactics to maintain order at the Larnaca holding cells.

Yiangou alleged before the committee that, during an earlier disturbance, Justice Minister Nicos Koshis had called in riot police, who “stubbed out cigarettes” on the immigrants.

The opposition deputy added that following the incident, the then Larnaca police chief banned all visits to the detainees.

Yiangou also claimed that guards at the cells refused to administer prescribed medicine to one of the sick boat people because they wanted to finish a game of backgammon.

Attorney-general Alecos Markides has appointed six criminal prosecutors to look into the alleged beatings, which have caused widespread public outrage.

The 40-odd Africans were among the 113 boat people rescued sick and starving from the Syrian fishing trawler Ridallah in June, and taken to the Pefkos hotel in Limassol.

In August, the Africans, mainly single males, were transferred to the Larnaca cells following riots outside the hotel.

Akel deputy Doros Christodoulides told the committee yesterday that, on August 19, riot police stormed the hotel to restore order, and subsequently took “a group of immigrants to the roof, where they were beaten up.”

He said that Markides had ordered an investigation following such complaints, but so far nothing had been done.

Committee chairman Yiannakis Agapiou said he was “horrified” by the television pictures and said the government should “apologise” to the international community and promise that such incidents would never happen again.

“According to a 1988 UN declaration, any detainee is protected from being subjected to torture or beatings, and there can be no excuse for such actions under any circumstances,” said Agapiou.

Deputy Attorney-general Nicos Charalambous said the investigation into allegations of police brutality against the 41 boat people would be completed in 15 days.