A prominent migrant rights group in Cyprus has bashed the country’s authorities for failing to properly investigate a bomb attack against its offices in Nicosia.
ADVERTISEMENTA migrants’ rights organisation in Cyprus whose offices were damaged in an explosion following threats by far-right and extremist groups has condemned the country’s authorities for failing to investigate the incident.
In a press release shared with Euronews, KISA (Movement for Equality, Support, Anti-Racism), a group which campaigns against discrimination and provides free legal and social services to migrants, refugees and asylum seekers, said its offices in Nicosia were hit by an improvised explosive device which exploded in front of its premises at the break of dawn on 5 January.
The attack, which destroyed the infrastructure and the electronic equipment inside the building, followed “a long campaign of criminalisation and delegitimisation” against the group, KISA said.
Doros Polycarpou, who heads the organisation, said he has a track record of threats received on social media because of his work with KISA.
“This was a carefully orchestrated attack to warn us that ‘nothing can protect you’,” he said, adding that extremists are spreading false rumours that KISA is responsible for illegally helping to bring migrants to Cyprus.
The number of migrant arrivals in Cyprus has risen significantly in recent years, leading to a growth of hateful anti-migrant rhetoric and hostility in the Mediterranean country.
Last August, more than 20 people were arrested after trying to attack Syrian migrants. Only a few days later, 13 others were arrested after a mob smashed storefronts and set trash bins on fire during an anti-immigration march in the city of Limassol.
The bombing of KISA’s offices forced the organisation to stop its work, while its staff members are still “reeling from the attack itself, which they say has been compounded by the Cypriot state’s refusal to offer adequate protection.”
Calls for an investigation into the attack
The organisation has condemned the silence of the Cypriot government over the incident, adding that the police failed to publish an information note about the attack “contrary to the usual practice.” The group said that the police suggested they would investigate the matter according to their obligation, “despite their dislike of the organisation.”
A police spokesperson told the Associated Press that police don’t always issue statements when an incident or a criminal act occurs, even if they involve explosives. He confirmed the attack outside KISA’s offices damaged the building’s windowpanes and the windows of nearby homes, as well as a car.
The attack has been condemned, on the other hand, by fellow human rights organisations including Amnesty International.
“The violent attack on KISA is despicable and raises serious concerns over the safety of human rights defenders in the country,” said Kondylia Gogou, Cyprus Researcher at Amnesty International.
“Racist violence is on the rise in Cyprus and elsewhere in Europe, and the work of organisations and activists working to protect affected communities is more vital than ever,” she continued, adding that the attack against KISA “cannot be tolerated” by Cyprus authorities.
“Authorities in Cyprus must conduct a prompt, thorough, independent and impartial investigation, and urgently provide effective measures to protect the safety of KISA staff and activists. We also call on the EU to speak out against this violence, to stand up against racism, and to support civil society under attack,” she said.
The European Network Against Racism also called for authorities to launch a proper investigation into the attack and protect KISA staff.
Leandros Savvides, Acting Chair of the Steering Committee at KISA, said that the attack against the organisation and the authorities’ reluctance to acknowledge it “are a wake-up call for Europe.”
“It is the tip of an iceberg of a culture of total impunity which has seen both state forces and extremists harass, intimidate, and blacklist us for no other reason than our work to highlight Cyprus and Europe’s treatment of people on the move,” he said.
“We refuse to be intimidated. Nothing will prevent us from protecting human rights.”