Cyprus - January 2024

On 5 January, the office of the NGO Kisa (Action for Equality, Support, Antiracism) was attacked with an improvised explosive device, destroying windows, computers and archives. Kisa reported receiving threats in recent years with “racist and nationalist motives.” The attacker is unknown, and a police investigation is ongoing. Kisa has criticized Cypriot authorities for contributing to a hostile environment, including by systematically undermining the organization’s legitimacy (for example by removing Kisa from the register of associations in 2020) and failing to investigate previous threats and harassment against the organization and its staff. The European Network Against Racism (ENAR) condemned the attack and raised concerns over the lack of response from Cypriot authorities. ENAR and other human rights organizations report that the attack is part of a broader trend of escalating hostilities and divisive rhetoric targeting marginalized communities, especially migrants, and the organizations that support them in Cyprus.

Sources: Cyprus Mail, Euronews, ENAR, Kisa, Amnesty International, Civic Space Watch