Man arrested for spying in north jailed for 30 days

Imprisoned in the north over the use of walkie talkies and taking photographs of a military area, Andreas Soudjis will be released on October 7, a military court decided on Tuesday.

Reports from the north said that the court ruled Soudjis was guilty, since five images of a military area were found on his mobile phone.

It sentenced him to 30 days imprisonment, which would start from the day Soudjis was first appeared in court, September 7.

Soudjis was arrested attempting to cross back from the north via the Pergamos checkpoint on the charge of possessing a walkie talkie. He was taken to ‘court’ in Trikomo and then to a military court in Nicosia, after photographs from a military area were found on his mobile.

Last Tuesday, he was released by the Trikomo ‘court’, which issued a warning and a fine if he is caught using a walkie talkie without a licence again.

Soudjis will remain in custody until the military court’s deadline expires on October 7.

Human rights groups condemned his jailing and called for the immediate release of the bicommunal activist.

Bicommunal peace group Unite Cyprus Now had said at the time that no charges had yet been made against Soudjis and that the duration of his custody and attacks in the press violate his basic human rights.

“This alone should have been a reason for his release since no charges have been made against him within a reasonable amount of time,” their statement said.