Nicosia, Cyprus. Lawyer Pambos Ioannides said First Lady Philippa Karsera Christodoulides’ request that online activist Nicoletta Tsikkinis remove social media posts is an attempt to silence and intimidate a critical voice. He said he will respond to the first lady’s letter with a detailed explanation.
Lawyer criticises focus of first lady’s letter
Ioannides told the Cyprus News Agency that the first lady’s position was “incomprehensible,” saying the letter addressed older posts rather than issues surrounding Tsikkinis’ resignation from the social support body and the president’s statement that he intends to dissolve the body.
He said the letter concerned posts published earlier, with the most recent in June 2025, and described the move as an attempt to silence and intimidate a critical voice towards the first lady and the president, which he said was unacceptable.
Ioannides added that if the first lady files a lawsuit against Tsikkinis, “we will certainly deal with it.”
Background on the social support body and recent developments
The social support body was established in 2014 and was placed under then first lady Andri Anastasiades, before being passed on to First Lady Philippa Karsera Christodoulides when her husband became president in 2023.
It was initially set up to offer financial assistance to disadvantaged students, but a video published on January 8 alleged that cash donations to the body were used to circumvent campaign finance laws and curry favour with the government.
Following the publication of the video, the first lady resigned from her role. President Nikos Christodoulides told reporters on Monday that his first thought was to completely abolish the body, while adding that he had heard ideas to transfer it to the state scholarships foundation.
What do you think about the dispute over the letter and the future of the social support body?