Serial murders in Cyprus: police dragging their heels?
The discovery of a series of murders has shocked Cyprus. According to police a 35-year-old army officer has confessed to killing five women and two little girls. He apparently convinced the victims - most of them domestic workers from Asian countries - to meet up with him in online chats. The police now fear the man may have killed more women. Critics accuse the authorities of not being thorough enough in their investigations.
The murderer was banking on indifference
For Cyprus Mail, the murderer did not pick his victims randomly:
“These were people who society did not care much about and would not be missed except by their own friends and family, who without contacts in high places, had little hope for a proper investigation. Had it been a Greek Cypriot mother and child, the police would have turned the country inside out. … What's ironic is that this travesty has happened in a country that has never stopped searching for its own missing persons for the past forty-five years [since the Turkish invasion in 1974].”
We must finally combat violence against women
The crimes of the serial murderer also have a political dimension, columnist Giannis Albanis emphasises in Newpost:
“We should ask ourselves whether it is a coincidence that such criminals are almost exclusively men and their victims women. Once again we see how important it is to combat violence against women and sexist stereotyping. ... Furthermore, I believe that the police showed no interest because the missing persons were foreign domestic workers. The 'Filipinos' (whether or not they come from the Philippines) are 'invisble' for Greeks and Greek-Cypriots. They are among those who do the hardest work for the lowest wages. They are systematically discriminated against and humiliated.”