AKEL yesterday stood firm in its refusal to alter Constitutional clauses on phone surveillance that currently make it possible for parties to upload illegal content onto the internet
It was recently revealed that child pornography was being uploaded to the internet through two phone lines in Cyprus and that the Cyprus Constitution is standing in the way of the government legislating to prevent it.
Following a House meeting yesterday, the House Legal Affairs Committee failed to reach a final decision, with political parties conflicting on whether the constitution should be changed.
A public uproar ensued, as Attorney-general Petros Klerides announced that Chapter 17 of the constitution, which forbids interference with private telephone lines, protected the people responsible.
Justice Minister Doros Theodorou said at the time: “Our hands are tied. We can’t do anything.”
A meeting was planned for yesterday, in which a possible alteration of the constitution would be discussed.
The outcome of the meeting was unsure, with AKEL voting firmly against the alteration, DISY and the European Party voting for constitutional change and EDEK and DIKO refraining from giving a definite answer.
In a statement yesterday, head of DISY Ionas Nicolaou said that DISY voted in favour of a change in the constitution, provided that any investigations made on private lines is carried out in accordance to strict conditions and presuppositions that will be set by the basic law.
Kyrenia MP and European Party member Christodoulos Taramountas also voted in favour of the alteration.
“My suggestion is that a bill be drawn up, which will determine the presuppositions and conditions, on the basis of which the police authorities will be allowed to listen in on telephone conversations and if we all agree, then we can go ahead with the alteration”, he told Cyprus Mail yesterday.
If the majority of the Committee votes in favour of a constitutional change, then Nicolaou said that the Attorney-general will be asked to fast-track the alteration of the current legislation.
The new legislation will include the strict conditions under which phone-line surveillances will be carried out. Afterwards there will be a further meeting by the House Legal Affairs Committee to seal the final legislation.
If the majority voted against the alteration however, the matter will be put forward to all the members of the Parliament, accompanied by a letter of rejection from the House Legal Affairs Committee.
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