Police Back Down on Information Moratorium

Communication between journalists and police officers is not an offence, said minister of justice Loukas Louka amid a controversy over how much information police can share with the media.

Police have been battling leaks in the investigation into Andy Hadjicostis' murder, which triggered an unprecedented level of coverage by media outlets because the slain CEO ran the largest media group on the island. Late last week the chief of police declared a moratorium on police-journalist communications, a move that was met with strong resistance from journalists who said it was censorship.

"There was never any intention to deprive journalists of the right to access information," said Louka.

He added that it was not a criminal or disciplinary offence for police officers to come in contact with journalists.

Andreas Kannaouros, chairman of the journalists union, said that he received assurances that there would be no obstacles to journalists seeking information within the boundaries of respect for police procedures.