In 1971 a now-infamous US navy experiment was conducted at Stanford University, which consisted of a simulated prison environment with a group of students divided into ‘prisoners’ and ‘guards’. The experiment was to run for two weeks but had to be abandoned after six days because the ‘guards’ had very quickly adapted to an authoritarian mindset, inflicting horrendous psychological abuse on the ‘prisoners’.
For ten months now, this country has effectively been run by government decrees without much legislative oversight due to the lack of any criticism by MPs of Covid measures. Given the fear level among the populace they would not dare challenge the devastating effects of sustained lockdowns, for instance.
Could it be a surprise then that with such impunity it was just a matter of time before the line between ruling by decree for the good of public health crossed into other areas where people in positions of power might begin to see themselves as somehow special or above any criticism?
These things begin with small instances. There was the president telling journalists ‘devil take you’ if they asked him a question on the Al Jazeera report on passports. There’s the police setting up a special snitch line to anonymously report Covid offenders. There’s the health ministry permanent secretary jumping the queue for the vaccine.
And on Tuesday, it was Justice Minister Emily Yiolitis reporting a parody Twitter account in her name to police. it was not a fake account which could be mistaken for hers and could cause real damage. It literally said ‘parody’ on it.
Of course the minister did not like what she saw there. Who would? Twitter is a cesspool for the worst kind of people and everything written on the account was unkind. But when you set yourself up as a social media personality and become a public figure you need to develop a thick skin. All the minister did was draw more attention to the parody account. It was like throwing blood into the water for sharks, and they came for her.
Worst of all, Yiolitis’ reporting of the matter prompted police to raid a woman’s home in Larnaca where computers were seized. The woman denies involvement.
The minister later backed off, saying she had no intention of pursuing legal measures against the woman but insisted that offending the dignity of her family went beyond satire.
Maybe so, but raiding the home of someone who has not committed a crime is way worse for them than some mean words written on the internet.
As lawyer Achilleas Demetriades pointed out, with no crime having taken place there was no reason for the police to raid the house. Their excuse was that the account in question had overstepped the ethical line as regards critique, touching upon the minister’s personal data. That is probably debatable… in a civil court, not in a criminal trial.
The bright side was the swift backlash meted out to the minister by the governed. This shows that other than when it comes to Covid decrees, it is still possible to keep public officials in check, especially those that value their image. It also sends a message that they are really not special and reminds them that they are public servants, not overlords.
