The case against Turkish Cypriot former MEP candidate Oz Karahan was on Friday adjourned until March to allow the defence to be given all witness material and to find a Turkish language translator to interpret court proceedings.

Karahan and former Sigma TV journalist Giorgos Tattis were arrested in October last year after unfurling a banner which read “Republic of Cyprus: the only solution” at an independence day parade. The police found that the banner contained “political content” – something which is forbidden at independence day parades.

Reports suggested that the pair unfurled the banner before being informed by police that displaying banners with political content at the parade is prohibited. However, they reportedly refused to take the banner down, and as such were arrested.

The police had said at the time that they had approached the pair, and that one of them had “reacted by abusing police officers”.

Additionally, the police said, both resisted arrest, and were both thus re-arrested. One of the pair was also arrested for assaulting a police officer.

The case will now resume on March 12.

After proceedings had drawn to a close on Friday, a small crowd of people who had gathered to support Karahan and Tattis hung the banner the pair had unfurled at the parade in October outside court.

Karahan said the case “is important because it is related to human rights, freedom of speech, and the defence of the Republic of Cyprus, and we will continue to fight for this”.

“We are happy to see that the Cypriot people understand the importance of this case. The support we receive from in this case from the public is also the message we are giving, which is that we are fighting for a free Cyprus, and this is in people’s hearts,” he said.

Tattis also spoke outside court, saying that he and Karahan had “defended a constitutionally guaranteed right of ours – the right to freedom of expression”, and criticised the police for acting “arbitrarily” at the parade.

“We consider our arrest to be first of all illegal, but also politica. Some people seem to be bothered by the defence of the Republic of Cyprus, especially by Turkish Cypriot anti-occupation patriots,” he added.

He also criticised presidential press office director Victor Papadopoulos, who had said at the time that shouting slogans and unfurling banners is not allowed at independence day parades.

“We consider Victor Papadopoulos’ statements regarding the ban on banners and slogans to be extremely problematic, especially from a former journalist and the current director of the presidential press office,” he said.