FRENAROS: President and Attorney General intervene to imprison 35-year-old

The Legal Service, in consultation with the President of the Republic, is examining the possibility of interfering in the imposition of a 45-day prison sentence on a 35-year-old man from Frenaros, who was found guilty of violating measures to limit the spread of pandemic.

This was stated to KYPE by the Attorney General Costas Clerides, who was asked to comment on the reactions that took place in this matter and to be asked about the possibility of his intervention.

Specifically, the District Court of Famagusta issued a verdict against the 35-year-old yesterday, imposing a sentence of 45 days in prison, after finding him guilty, on the basis of a complaint from the Deryneia Police, that shortly after nine o'clock on the night of March 25, 2020 prohibition of movement of persons which was in force from 2100 in the evening until 0600 in the morning. The 35-year-old gave the police an excuse that "he violated this decree because he decided to visit his girlfriend".

Asked to comment on the matter, the lawyer of the Association for the Protection of the Rights of Prisoners and Detainees, Alexandros Clerides, in his statements to KYPE, said that "unfortunately we have not yet received the text of the decision so we can comment with absolute certainty, but at a time when There is an attempt to decongest prisons with various actions, such as the appointment of an ad hoc committee to solve the problem, it is worrying to observe such news. "

"Alternative sentences have been promoted by the Association since 2017 and these cases, such as this news, are a perfect example of how an alternative sentence could be implemented with positive results," he said.

He noted that "the Court in any case has the power to impose a penalty which it considers appropriate, on the basis of the data before it, including the suspension of any penalty".

He also said that "an alternative sentence could be a decree ordering him to appear in a hospital for 45 days for work and for an officer to monitor his presence."

"Immediate imprisonment of a person should always be the last resort in cases where any other punishment could not be applied," he said.

As for the specific case, "with the information we have so far", as he said, "it should be investigated whether the prefecture itself provides disproportionate punishment to the gravity of the crime and even whether at the time of the commission of this law was in force and provided for such penalties, fundamental rights under Article 12 of the Constitution. "