Lifer receives parole from central prison

The Parole Board on Tuesday ruled in favour of the release of lifer Ierotheos Christodoulou, alias Ropas, from the Nicosia central prison.

According to state broadcaster CyBC, the 52-year-old will be released on Friday after spending 15 years in prison.
Ropas was charged with masterminding and taking part in the 1998 murder of Marios Panayides, 29, in Limassol, along with two accomplices who also served prison sentences but have since been released.
The board took into consideration submitted testimonies referring to Ropas’ excellent conduct during the last 15 years behind bars, and the fact that he is not viewed as a danger to society.

The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.