Newsroom
After almost two decades of waiting, the family of National Guard soldier Thanasis Nikolaou has won a small but important victory in their long fight for justice.
On Wednesday, the Limassol District Court approved the registration of a private criminal case filed by the family against a state pathologist and four former police officers.
Thanasis’ mother, Andriana Nikolaou, told the Cyprus News Agency that the case was prepared and signed by lawyers Nikos Clerides and Savvas Matsa, and officially filed on November 4. She said she doesn’t want to make further comments for now, a sign perhaps that after 20 years of frustration, she’s being cautious with her hope.
The indictment includes 38 charges in total, such as conspiracy to obstruct justice, neglect of duty, perjury, falsifying evidence, and destroying evidence. Most of the charges are aimed at forensic pathologist Panikos Stavrianos, the doctor who ruled back in 2005 that Thanasis had taken his own life.
That version of events, however, fell apart earlier this year. In May 2024, a third official inquest concluded that Thanasis’ death was not suicide but a criminal act, confirming what his family had been saying all along.
The case against the five men is expected to be served in the coming days, officially putting them in the legal hot seat.
Thanasis’ body was found under the Alassa bridge in September 2005, and ever since, his parents have refused to accept the initial suicide ruling. Their persistence pushed authorities to reopen the case again and again until the truth finally began to surface.
This new development may not be justice yet, but it’s a long-overdue step toward it. For the Nikolaou family, it’s not just about punishment; it’s about clearing their son’s name and making sure what happened to him never gets swept under the rug again.
