The government will convey written evidence to strengthen the case against Erhan Arikli, wanted for the murder of a Greek Cypriot in 1996, to enable the Kyrgyzstan authorities to issue an extradition order to the Republic of Cyprus. During a meeting this morning at the Attorney-General’s office, chaired by AG Petros Clerides, a number of decisions were taken in relation to Arikli. Erhan Arikli was on INTERPOL’s wanted list. Tasos Isaac, 24, was beaten to death on August 11 1996 during a demonstration in the buffer zone village of Dherynia, in Famagusta district, to protest against the continued Turkish occupation of the northern part of Cyprus. He was kicked and beaten to death by a group of 15-20 people who surrounded him and threw him to the ground. Cyprus Police issued at the time arrest warrants against eight people in connection with his murder and requested Interpol’s assistance for their arrest. According to Cyprus Police, on September 18, Interpol Kyrgyzstan informed the Cypriot authorities that Arikli was arrested on the basis of the Red Alert issued after a request by Cyprus Police in connection to Isaac’s murder. However, the court in Kyrgyzstan let free the suspect, giving various reasons for this decision. In statements after today’s meeting, Permanent Secretary of the Justice Ministry Stelios Himona said that all competent authorities took part in the meeting which examined the issue and decided the next steps. “We will send stronger evidence for the fugitive’s extradition procedure and expect the Kyrgyzstan authorities to respond”, he said.

Leave a Reply