The obligation of the Republic of Cyprus to respect the agreement it signed for the transfer of convicts to their country of origin was highlighted on Monday by the Minister of Justice and Public Order, Costas Fytiris, in relation to Israel's request for the transfer to the country of Simon Aikout, who was sentenced to five years in prison for the usurpation of Greek Cypriot property. Mr. Fytiris was responding to a relevant question, in the context of the press conference he gave in Nicosia.
"Israel has requested the transfer of Shimon Aikut to Israel to serve his sentence there. We have an obligation to abide by this agreement, we know that this issue is very special due to the usurpation of Greek Cypriot properties in the occupied territories. To be honest, to date I have signed fifteen such requests for other countries. However, in this case, which is a special issue, all factors are weighed in the public interest," the Minister said.
What we have secured in a way from the Israeli side, he continued, "is that it recognizes the usurpation of Greek Cypriot properties in the occupied territories. The second, he said, is that "a travel advisory has been issued which has been renewed and recommends that Israelis not buy properties that have been built on Greek Cypriot properties."
He also said that "at some point we have to respond, otherwise we will have consequences - but not in our relations with Israel - because we are not adhering to an agreement that exists, but also by those who have signed this agreement."
Regarding the remaining sentence of Simon Aikout, Costas Fytiris noted that "due to his age, he can be released at half of his sentence. So, we are now talking about whether he will stay in prison for another 6-8 months. So, I believe that we cannot risk the public interest for six months in prison. The important thing is that he has been convicted and the other state, Israel, has recognized that his conviction was for the usurpation of Greek Cypriot property."
Source: KYPE
