Filenews 6 January 2022
A coordinated operation for the policing of the community of Chlorakas took place yesterday from 5pm until midnight, in which members of the Pafos ADE, the Pafos OPE, the MMAD, the OPOD Headquarters and the Airport Security Directorate (DASA) participated.
During the operation, checks were carried out on houses, apartment complexes, vehicles and persons, while four persons aged 40, 25, 21 and 18 years old were arrested under court warrants to facilitate the interrogations, regarding the incidents that took place in Paphos and Chlorakas, between the dates of January 3-4, 2022.
Also, during the operation, a 33-year-old woman was arrested for an offence of the offence, in connection with a case of burglary of a residence committed earlier yesterday in the Paphos district. A search of her vehicle found property, which is believed to be stolen, and then part of the property in question was identified by the owner of the residence from which it was stolen.
At the same time, a 28-year-old person was arrested for the offence, in whose possession property believed to be stolen property was found.
In addition, in an inspection carried out in an apartment complex in Chlorakas, for violations of the decree concerning the installation of applicants for international protection in that community, a 48-year-old man was found, who was questioned in writing.
Finally, a total of 380 vehicles were stopped, of which 51 were searched, as well as 68 persons, while 29 traffic complaints emerged.
Filenews 6 January 2022 - by Dora Christodoulou
A wide-ranging meeting was held yesterday in Nicosia, attended by the Minister of Justice and Public Order, the Minister of Interior, the Deputy Minister of Social Welfare, the Chief of Police and a representative of the Legal Service, where the events that took place in Chlorakas were discussed, with the aim of addressing the unsettled situation that was created.
Speaking about the meeting, Interior Minister Nikos Nouris said that in the last 14 months two decrees were issued, one of which concerned the ban on migrants from going to Chlorakas in an attempt to control the problem and the second to the closure of the building complex in Chlorakas, in which they had settled. A decree was issued, he said, after a series of exhaustive health checks in this building complex, in which more than 550 Syrians allegedly live, and considered it unsuitable for human living and with the decree of last November we called on the residents to abandon it.
"Today (yesterday) I sent a letter to the co-competent Ministries and competent services, asking the Minister of Justice to call on the Police to implement the second decree and proceed to the closure of the complex," he stressed. "As decided at the meeting, because the competent services found that the health of migrants who continue to reside in the complex is at stake due to unsuitable water, the Police were instructed to exercise effective control over the illegal water supply of the premises. In addition, for a sense of security in the community and to avoid other similar incidents, the Police will be present with increased force in the area."
Also, in cooperation with the Legal Service, the Ministry of Interior said, action procedures will be initiated against anyone responsible for violating the decrees, including the owners of the complex, for illegal operation. At the same time, as noted, the Ministry of Interior completed the categorization of the migrants residing in Chlorakas, on the basis of the status attributed to them.
As he explained, it was decided that among the 279 residents who were granted supplementary protection status, they must immediately find a new place of residence on their own. At the same time, he added, it was decided to transfer families to the Kofinou Center and the Lakes.
Additional measures will be taken for the rest, especially for the illegal residents of Chlorakas, concluded Mr. Nouris.
Filenews 6 January 2022 - by Dora Christodoulou
The President of the Community Council of Chlorakas Nikolas Liasidis in his statements after the unprecedented in extent and violence incidents between Syrians in the community on Tuesday night, called on the President of the Republic to intervene personally in order to close the building complex that, he said, operates illegally and houses hundreds of foreigners. Both the Community Authority, as well as institutions and residents of the community leave clear spikes on how this building complex continues to operate and rent spaces to foreigners, while there is against the decree of the District Governor of Pafos and while semi-governmental organizations have repeatedly discontinued the benefits because the relevant service fees are not paid.
"In this building complex," the president of the community of Chlorakas denounced after Tuesday's incidents, "500-600 people live, some of whom are political asylum seekers. This time with the episodes unfortunately we experienced moments of terror, with all the negative consequences."
Mr. Liasidis said that for this complex a relevant decree has been issued by the Prefect of Paphos to close, a decree which unknown for what reasons is not executed for years.
At the same time, residents of the community stated after the end of the unprecedented incidents in streets and public places of the community, that their continuous démarches about the situation prevailing in the building complex in which all foreigners arriving in Chlorakas find shelter, fall on deaf ears.
"Either through the Community Council, or individually many residents," they stressed, "we have for years made urgent and agonizing representations to those responsible. The situation here is a bomb constantly detonated. And it is strange to say the least, not to say suspicious, how it is that while the EAC has repeatedly cut off the electricity supply due to hundreds of thousands of euros of the complex's debt to it, as if by magic the electricity comes back immediately. The same with water, the same with any other service."
Meanwhile, the Police are continuing intensive investigations into the continuous incidents between Syrians in the Paphos district in the previous 24 hours. One person has been arrested for the events in Chlorakas and many others are still being brought in, in order to obtain arrest warrants.
Also, now examining a case of conspiracy to commit a felony, conspiracy to commit a misdemeanor, rioting, causing grievous bodily harm and assault between groups of Syrians defrauded by dozens of people, the Police proceeded to arrest a total of six persons to facilitate the interrogations.
According to an announcement by the Communication Branch of the Police Headquarters, four persons aged 17 and 25 who are under eight-day detention and two others aged 20 and 22 years old had been arrested after an evaluation of the witness material available to it, the Police, who are under eight-day detention at Paphos Hospital, guarded after their injury in the incidents.
Yesterday, members of the Paphos I.E. proceeded on the basis of court warrants to arrest two more persons. These are men aged 46 and 44 who have been detained to facilitate interrogations. At the same time, many other people of Syrian origin are being sought, both for the incidents in the commercial centre of Paphos, and for those in Chlorakas.
