ECHR rules against Cyprus in abuse complaint

The Republic of Cyprus will have to pay €25,000 to a Canadian citizen, following a decision by the European Court of Human Rights that found he was abused while in police custody.

The plaintiff, Hani Abdul Khani Kabbara, filed a case against Cyprus regarding his arrest in 2011 in Limassol and subsequent treatment by authorities.

Police said Kabbara was suspected, among other things, of using a fraudulent credit card to withdraw money from an ATM outside a branch of a Limassol bank.

He was immediately taken to the Limassol central police station, according to court documents, which also said on the same day he was examined by doctors at the town’s General Hospital and was found to have multiple injuries.

Khani Kabbara alleged that “he was ill-treated by police officers during his detention at the police station and that no effective investigation was carried out by the national authorities into his complaint,” an ECHR statement said.

The court sided with the plaintiff, ruling that the defendant did not carry out an effective investigation into the abuse complaint.

In addition to the €25,000 settlement for the Canadian man, the Republic of Cyprus was also assessed attorney’s legal fees at a cost of €3000.