Police admit investigating Cypriot after US complaint about article
POLICE yesterday confirmed claims that they had investigated a Cypriot citizen after a complaint filed by the US embassy in Nicosia that he had published “abusive material” on the Internet.
The claims were made by the man’s father, psychiatrist Takis Evdokas, who charged that the American services “intimidated Cypriots because they went against the Annan plan”.
Evdokas said his son Petros had been investigated after a request from the American embassy relating to his article ‘Spies, Murderers and Creeps – Management of the ‘free dialogue’ on the Annan plan’ which had been published on the Cyprus IndyMedia website just before the April 24 referendum.
Evdokas said a CID officer visited his home on July 5 and informed him that his son had posted an article on the web on March 14, 2004, which was against the Annan plan and specifically targeted Alexander Ernyey, who works for the United Nations in Cyprus.
According to Evdokas, the officer told him that Ernyey had no complaint, but that the CIA and the American embassy had asked the police to investigate whether Petros constituted a threat to American interests.
Evdokas wondered whether the Justice Minister knew that a CID officer had taken a deposition without a crime being committed and if “we are living in a police state where the political beliefs of citizens were investigated by the police”.
Evdokas did not rule out taking legal measures if necessary.
His son, who has been in the US since December, has not been questioned by the authorities, Evdokas said.
In a brief statement, police said they had been asked by the American embassy on March 30 to investigate Evdokas in order to determine whether there was a real threat against Ernyey, his family or the US embassy.
“The police investigated the complaint and has prepared a report,” the statement said.
In the article, Evdokas claimed Ernyey was a spy who had “spent his entire life, almost, on operations of the US Department of State, of the US Embassy, and a lot more”.
Evdokas further charged that Ernyey had total control of the UNOPS office through the information system he controlled and managed, and suggested his immediate deportation from the island.
“He is actively working to disseminate propaganda and lies aimed at destabilising regional peace – is this the kind of people we trust to give us ‘objective information’ to decide about the terrible dilemmas in front of us which will determine life or death, war and peace in our country?”
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