The arson attack against a mosque in the village of Deneia was “a racist act with clear motives” says Ombudswoman Eliza Savvides.
In a written statement, Savvides referred to the “traumatic experience” on the island which demands the unequivocal condemnation of the incident and zero tolerance of such acts.
She also calls on the authorities to immediately investigate the attack and punish the perpetrators.
“With ongoing Cyprus settlement talks, such hate crimes undermine the efforts to reach a solution and create tensions among the two communities” Savvides notes.
Cyprus, she points out, has paid a hefty price for the reckless display of intolerance to turn a blind eye to such phenomena.
The Ombudswoman calls on the authorities to do their utmost in order to locate and punish the perpetrators, and take into account their racist motives.
Cyprus has been divided since the 1974 Turkish invasion. The mosque was restored in December 2014 as part of efforts by a bicommunal Technical Committee on the protection of the island’s cultural heritage.
