Bangladeshi’s death in Cyprus: Extended detention of protestors rejected

The Cyprus Court rejected the police request for further detention of the 10 individuals arrested during a demonstration in Limassol on Saturday (April 27) afternoon protesting high rents and the death of Bangladeshi immigrant Anisur Rahman.

The court said their detention is not deemed necessary for the completion of the investigative work.

According to the Court’s decision, there is reasonable suspicion of their connection to the crimes under investigation, but their further detention is not deemed necessary.

The arrested are expected to be formally charged in writing. They face a series of charges, including conspiracy to commit misdemeanours, disturbing the peace, public insult, and assault on a police officer.

A protest march in Limassol on Saturday afternoon ended with multiple injuries and ten arrests, as participants spoke of police brutality.

This was the third protest over the death of Anisur Rahman, as a march was held in Limassol on April 13 and another one in Nicosia on April 20.

Police stated that during the Saturday protest at the Limassol Crime Investigation Department (CID) building, protestors showed aggression towards police officers, who moved to break up the gathering.

Six men and four women were arrested and taken into custody, with the police requesting their further detainment for an additional four days. The Court today rejected this request.

Speaking to in-cyprus, protestors have disputed the police’s account, describing the clash as an “unprovoked attack” and accusing the police of physical and verbal abuse.

In a press release, the lawyers of the detained, Efstathios Efstathiou and Socratis Tziazas, also describe the incident as an “unprovoked attack”, highlighting instances of “criminally disproportionate violence” on the side of the police.

Case background

Early on Wednesday, April 10, officers raided an apartment on the fifth floor of a building in Limassol, acting on a tip about undocumented migrants living there.

Two men, both foreign nationals, attempted to escape, jumping from the window.

The fall killed 19-year-old Anisur Rahman, a worker from Bangladesh, while the other man suffered severe injuries, leading to his hospitalisation.

Police said that two officers from the Aliens and Immigration unit entered the apartment after knocking on the door and obtaining the consent of the residents.

This account has been disputed in a statement given to in-cyprus and philenews by K.S., a person who was living in the apartment and was an eyewitness to the police raid, who noted “On Wednesday there were 15 people without uniforms, they broke the door in the morning and punched the person standing next to the door. Then they punched another person”.

K.S. also said that the flatmates were forced to sign voluntary return requests.

Anti-racist organisation KISA has also questioned the version of events offered by the police over the raid, referring to eyewitnesses stating that the police entered forcefully into the apartment without the occupants’ consent.

The Independent Authority for the Investigation of Allegations and Complaints Against the Police (IAIACAP) has appointed two criminal investigators to examine the circumstances surrounding Rahman’s death.

Source: In-Cyprus