Writer, Cartoonist, Commentator - When is the Knock on Your Door Coming? Justice Minister Yiolitis Oversteps

Writer, cartoonist, commentator, when is the knock on your door coming?

In big-brother-is-watching you move, Justice Minister Yiolitis used her state power to persecute someone she believed to be responsible for a satirical Twitter account. Acting on Ms Yiolitis complaint, the police raided the home of a Larnaca resident.

One can only imagine how intimidated the woman was when the knock came on her door.

The suspect denied any involvement in the matter.

Abuse of power

Ms. Yiolitis said she was defending her father and her personal data.

But using the authorities to carry out her family complaints against a private individual is an abuse of power. If her father’s dignity was offended, he could file a complaint on his own behalf and as a private citizen.

The core issue here is the abuse of power and Ms. Yiolitis’ position as a minister with power over the authorities. No policeman would dare to deny the minister her demands.

To clarify, the complaint was not filed by an ordinary citizen. It was filed by someone in a position of power who is also a public figure.

This action - like the action Ms Yiolitis approved to bring in the army to enforce an order to remain within Limassol city limits - skirts authoritarianism. The Civil Defence would have been perfectly suited to help the police with this instead of the army.

Article 19 - Freedom of Expression is Sacred

It is against Article 19 of the Cyprus Constitution which guarantees freedom of expression for a minister to use her authority to persecute someone who displeased her in the media. Satire of public figures is protected speech under the right to freedom of expression.

Heavyweight human rights Achilleas Demetriades told Politis newspaper the minister has overstepped her authority and used intimidation.

Chill effect

Actions like these have a chilling effect on expression.

Authoritarian regimes routinely use the authorities to intimidate and suppress freedom of expression. The Soviet Union was notorious for the knock on the door, the sudden arrest, the jail sentences without evidence of the intelligentsia. More recently and in our neighborhood, Turkey threw half of the university professors in jail for daring to comment, disagree or otherwise express themselves about the conduct of their own government.

Abuse of power is a dangerous thing for democracy.

Minister Yiolitis brushed off the seriousness of the situation and said she will not pursue legal action against the woman whose home was raided by police she sent, but the damage is done.

In this reporter’s opinion, Minister Yiolitis should make a public statement promising to respect freedom of expression or risk losing the trust of the media and everyone who uses social media going forward. More seriously, the Justice Ministry risks being seen as a public office used by ministers to carry out personal vendettas.