Cypriot police officers attacked a Rossiyskaya Gazeta correspondent in Nicosia Alexandra Gasyuka near the house where he lives with his family, they beat him, injured him, accused him of being in the country illegally and intended to deport him.
The journalist told the news agency about this RIA News.
Gasyuk thanked the Russian embassy staff for their help and assistance, noting that this is an unprecedented case in the 63 years of relations between Russia and Cyprus.
What happened?
Gasyuk said that everything happened on the morning of October 5: “The police beat me up near the house where I live, they accused me that I was in the country illegally, although I have a valid journalistic accreditation. Just the other day I called to clarify, they told me that everything was fine with the accreditation. The situation regarding the residence permit “It’s becoming clearer, we were told to wait for a response from the migration service, but there was none. The embassy sent notes, they were ignored, and now they say that the residence permit has been canceled and they treated me this way”– the correspondent said.
According to him, the police beat him, although he did not resist and, at the request of the police, produced documents. “They used special equipment unprovoked. I, of course, did not resist, I presented my documents as they asked. They twisted my arms, dislocated one arm. When I told them about this after a while, they realized what they had done and took me to the hospital. Fracture no, but there is a dislocation. They took me into custody, spent half the night rolling from one prison to another, they could not understand what to do with me. And in the end they issued an order for me to be deported from Cyprus. Allegedly, I pose a threat to public order. In what way? it is concluded, no one explains, they say – “orders from above.” Where from above – no one answers”– said Gasyuk.
He said he was kept in the bullpen for almost 24 hours.
According to him, the situation fits into what is happening with Russian media in European countries. “Unfortunately, this story has reached Cyprus, which was once friendly to us – now no longer friendly. These are unprovoked things… They didn’t bring anything, no charges, nothing, supposedly I’m here illegally, but this is complete nonsense. I have valid journalistic accreditation, I I publish materials” – said the journalist.
In his opinion, Cypriots “they are playing out for some political things that they don’t like.”“That is, they are acting under pressure from new friends, but they have forgotten about old friends. This is an unprecedented case. This has never happened in 63 years of relations between Russia and Cyprus, but, unfortunately, it happened.”– he said.
Gasyuk thanked the Russian diplomats.
“The Russian Embassy staff provided assistance and assistance from the very beginning,” a Rossiyskaya Gazeta correspondent reported.
As it became known, the Ambassador of Cyprus to the Russian Federation, Kypros Yorgallis, was summoned to the Russian Foreign Ministry on Friday afternoon due to the forceful detention of a Rossiyskaya Gazeta journalist on the island. No other details have been reported yet.
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