Filenews 16 March 2023
Arrest with geopolitical dimensions at Larnaka airport. A person of Kurdish origin, who has been recognised by the Republic of Cyprus as politically persecuted by Turkey, was arrested at the international airport yesterday morning.
The 48-year-old was placed under arrest by members of the Police after passport control found that he was wanted by the German prosecuting authorities and that an international arrest warrant was pending against him. According to the police of that country, the arrested person is suspected of an offence punishable by up to 10 years in prison, more specifically that of participation in a terrorist organization.
After the arrest of the recognized political refugee, the Police applied for a warrant for his arrest at the Larnaca District Court, which was approved. Within the day he will be brought before the court. It is assumed that the lawyer who took over the case will ask for his conditional release until the request of the German prosecuting authorities is examined.
The fact that the 48-year-old is recognized as a political refugee by the Republic of Cyprus, adds another dimension to the case, which is not simple. It is expected that his lawyer Efstathios Efstathiou will ask the German authorities to justify the request for his extradition. In addition, a request will be made for the essential documents sent by the Germans for the purposes of his extradition to be translated into the mother tongue of the arrested person.
