In Cyprus, criminal liability will be introduced for false accusations against the police

The Parliament of the Republic of Cyprus is preparing to adopt a bill that establishes criminal liability for falsely accusing police officers of crimes or misconduct.

The bill represents an amendment to the law facilitating complaints against the police and was previously approved by the legal committee of the House of Representatives.

According to the author of the bill, Member of Parliament Nikos Georgiou, the bill aims to "prevent phenomena such as filing false complaints against police officers for imaginary criminal or disciplinary offenses."

The parliamentarian noted that these complaints are usually "aimed at slandering or retaliating against the police": 97% of cases filed with the police complaints review body are rejected.

The Chairman of the Police Union Branch Isotita, Nikos Loizidis, also supported the bill, stating that if passed, his union will withdraw all complaints it has filed with the Group of States against Corruption.

According to the union leader, the law allowing investigations into the police has "condemned, tried, and humiliated the police for 18 years, and no one has dealt with it."

Nikos Loizidis expressed relief that amendments are being made to the law establishing criminal liability for false complaints against the police.

The Secretary of the Cyprus Police Association, Lefteris Kyriakou, also stated that false complaints are "an impediment to the performance of our officers' duties in the line of duty."

The exact punishment for false complaints against police officers is not yet specified.