The appeal against the dismissal of former judge Doria Varoshiotou, who ruled that the death of National Guard conscript Thanasis Nicolaou in 2005 was a criminal act, was on Monday adjourned to September on a date to be announced after her lawyer objected to the composition of the court.

The appeal was being heard at the supreme constitutional court, but the court ruled that her lawyer’s objection was not something that could be considered in a short period of time and thus decided to adjourn.

During Monday’s proceedings, Varoshiotou’s lawyer, Achilleas Demetriades, raised the issue of the composition of the court, requesting the exclusion of three of its members, presiding judge Antonis Liatsos and judges Tefkros Economou and Nicholas Santis.

They had been involved in the decision to appoint Varoshiotou to the position of probationary judge.

“In this way, three of the members [of the court] had taken a position on what will be a disputed matter,” Demetriades said.

After adjourning for about half an hour, Liatsos stated that the judges were concerned with the issue raised by Demetriades regarding the exclusion of members.

He said it was considered “a particularly serious issue” and therefore a decision could not be made during a short adjournment.

On that basis, the case could not continue and a new date would be set for September which would be communicated later, he said.

When it reconvenes in September, the court will revisit and rule on the objection raised by Demetriades before the hearings turn to the substance of the case.

Varoshiotou was relieved of her duties in July 2025 after the supreme judicial court ruled that she did not meet the required criteria to be made permanent, ultimately terminating her appointment as a temporary judge, which she held since July 1, 2023.

The former judge was removed ahead of Monday’s conclusion of her appeal against her dismissal, following a supreme constitutional court ruling in late July 2025.

The supreme judicial council had decided to not offer Varoshiotou a permanent position within the judiciary after she finished her two-year probationary period.

This made Varoshiotou the only one of 11 judges under probation whose position was discontinued, with seven being offered permanent appointments and three being given further probation.

Last year, Varoshiotou ruled that Thanasis Nicolaou, a conscript who died in 2005, had been strangled to death. Her ruling overturned the original classification of his death as suicide, and followed a long campaign by his mother, Andriana Nicolaou.