The anger of Andriana Nicolaou, the mother of Thanasis Nicolaou, has reached its peak following the recent announcement by the Attorney General that criminal charges will not be pursued in relation to the case. Andriana Nicolaou, formerly a resident of Melbourne who had traveled to Australia recently, is outraged by this decision. So are thousands of Greek Cypriot and Australian citizens around the world.
The Attorney General of Cyprus, George Savvides, stated that he has chosen not to press criminal charges in the murder case of soldier Thanasis Nicolaou, whose lifeless body was discovered beneath a bridge in the village of Alasa, located in the Limassol district.
Thanasis Nicolaou, who had relocated from Melbourne, Australia, to serve in the military in Cyprus, tragically lost his life while fulfilling his duties.
Mr Savvides justified his decision by claiming insufficient evidence to support prosecution, thereby indirectly placing blame on the victim’s family. The family has expressed their intention to pursue private criminal proceedings. The Attorney General stated that it is “their right,” without clarifying whether he would support or obstruct these proceedings, invoking his constitutional privilege.
Mrs Nicolaou, who has spent the last 18 years struggling to establish the undeniable truth that her child was murdered while serving as a soldier, anxiously awaits the outcome of her third attempt to seek justice for the loss of her son.
Simultaneously, thousands of citizens have rallied behind Andriana Nicolaou, expressing their outrage at this discouraging development. Social media platforms are ablaze with discussions on the matter. Everyone is questioning why the Legal Service did not take action against those responsible for the flawed investigation carried out by the Cyprus Police Internal Affairs Division. Some are encouraging Mrs Nicolaou to reapply to the European Court of Human Rights and are even offering financial support to cover the associated costs.
Andriana Nicolaou’s anger has intensified as she has faced the same obstacles for 18 years, striving to uncover the truth and hold the culprits accountable. It is not an exaggeration to say that, for 18 years, Thanasis has been repeatedly victimised through the evasion of responsibility and the deliberate mishandling of the case.
Initially, his death was speculated to be a suicide. Subsequently, three interrogations and four investigations (including two involving criminal investigators) were conducted. Sixteen years later, experts from Greece concluded that Thanasis died as a result of strangulation, evident from a broken hyoid bone. The Matsas-Alexopoulos investigation then attributed responsibility to four individuals for their inadequate handling of the case, while referring to the police for further investigation into the actual murderers. Although the police investigation took place, no suspects were identified as no new testimonies emerged.
“An obvious crime was covered up,” Andriana Nicolaou told the Cyprus News Agency, stressing that the family is determined to proceed with hiring private investigators.
CASE CLOSED, MANY QUESTIONS REMAIN OPEN
Finally, the Legal Service decided to close the case without initiating prosecutions against the individuals mentioned in the conclusion of the criminal investigators’ report. This decision provoked a strong reaction from Thanasis’ mother and, in parallel, sparked outrage among citizens who stand in solidarity with her.
In her statements, Mrs Nicolaou expressed her deep dissatisfaction with the decision not to pursue prosecutions. She described it as a blatant cover-up of a heinous crime and added that since they have been brought this far, they have no choice but to proceed with private criminal prosecutions. She went on to criticise the person who was supposed to fulfill their responsibilities, claiming they washed their hands of the matter and granted amnesty to both the murderers and those who neglected their duties.
Clearly disturbed by the decision of the Legal Service, Mrs Nicolaou pointed out that the authorities deliberately avoided searching for testimonies. She acknowledged that finding the murderers might be challenging but not impossible. She exclaimed, “They are all there. Nobody died; they simply ignored investigating them. No investigations were conducted by the army, the police, or the investigators. How is that even possible? Who are they trying to find? I stated from the beginning that my child did not die from the bridge. Even stones, wood, and the most clueless person knew it. So, we had to oppose the forensic examiner and those who refused to investigate. When I informed them about the blood under the bridge, where birds were pecking at it, and urged them to take action, they responded, ‘That’s why we bring in the forensic examiner, so that we don’t have to handle it ourselves later.’ For God’s sake! Was it me, the mother, who had to collect the blood and take it for analysis to confirm if it was blood? And they just stood there, not conducting any investigation.”
Continuing her impassioned remarks, she stressed, “These things are unacceptable, which is why I want them to stand trial. Why didn’t they investigate? Why did they leave it to Lanias, a station that had only dealt with canine cases and had never handled such investigations before? They are all responsible. And then, throughout the death inquest, we had the Legal Service in front of us from the very first year. Right from the beginning, we faced the Legal Service and its employees in the courts, who told us that black was white. For God’s sake.”
The grieving mother, visibly upset, stressed, “We believed in justice, but there is no justice when the wrong people occupy positions of power. They treated my child’s tragic death worse than that of a dog. It is disgraceful and shameful for everyone involved.”
Regarding the latest police report, Andriana Nicolaou declared that it was riddled with lies, distortions, falsifications, and gossip. She expressed her frustration, mentioning how they even spread rumors about a letter she sent to the Ministry of Interior in 2003, while they were trying to establish a company. The letter was signed a few days after she sent it, yet they spread falsehoods, claiming that they had gone to Australia. Mrs Nicolaou fervently expressed her desire to confront them face-to-face, tear apart the report, and throw it in their faces.
Addressing the references to drugs that Thanasis was supposedly aware of, his mother mentioned that both the Attorney General and the police officers involved in the investigation were aware of it. They were provided with incentives and information, but nothing came of it, she claimed. She then revealed, “Because they don’t want to. That’s why the commander came the morning after his death and asked us what my child had told us when he returned home. He wanted to know if my child had managed to disclose what he saw and shared with them, and the next day they killed him. My child used to go to the army; our house is just 5-7 minutes away from the barracks, and yet he was found dead under the bridge, with his body untouched. And they make a mockery of us.”
PRIVATE CRIMINAL PROSECUTIONS IN JULY
Private criminal prosecutions against four, or possibly five, individuals involved in the death of Thanasis Nicolaou are expected to be filed with the court next month. According to the family’s lawyer, Christos Triantafyllidis, the family remains resolute in seeking legal action, and they will carefully examine the evidence provided by the Legal Service to determine who should be prosecuted.
The family’s lawyer emphasised that in light of the Legal Service’s decision not to pursue charges, the family, under these circumstances, will proceed with private criminal prosecution against the individuals who were identified by the Hellenic Police’s Internal Affairs Department as having negligently investigated the circumstances surrounding Thanasis’ death. This decision makes it potentially challenging or even impossible to ascertain the identities of the individuals responsible for the murder.
While suspicions may exist, the lawyer stressed that in a criminal proceeding, it is insufficient to rely solely on suspicions when accusing individuals of potentially killing Thanasis. He further commented, “The Legal Service, having examined the case, concluded that it would be difficult to establish sufficient evidence against these individuals, as their identities are already known within the criminal court system. I respect this decision as a legal one. However, as a lawyer, I maintain my legal disagreement, which is why the family will proceed with private criminal prosecution.”
The private criminal prosecution will primarily target four individuals, and there is a possibility of a fifth person being included.
At present, the focus is on three officers who were serving in the Police at the time of the incident, as well as the forensic examiner who was called to the scene where Thanasis was discovered deceased.
