Nicosia, Cyprus. Two women arrested over a TikTok livestream in which a child with Down syndrome was allegedly encouraged to perform indecent acts were released on Thursday after the Nicosia district court rejected a police request to remand them in custody. Police later announced the arrest of a third suspect in the same investigation.
Court decision
The two women were arrested under court warrants following a cybercrime investigation into the livestream.
Police sought detention orders for the women, but the court refused the request. Police did not provide an explanation to the Cyprus Mail for why the detention application was unsuccessful.
The justice ministry declined to comment, stating that the matter fell solely within the police’s remit.
Third arrest
In a statement issued later on Thursday, police said a third suspect had been arrested under a separate court warrant as the investigation continued.
Police had previously argued that the seriousness of the allegations justified detaining the two women.
Earlier complaint
The case follows criticism of the handling of the investigation after an initial complaint submitted on June 1 was discontinued. Police had said they were unable to identify those involved.
Disability organisations criticised that position, saying members of the public identified people appearing in the video within hours after it resurfaced online.
Remand considerations
A criminal lawyer told the Cyprus Mail that courts have broad discretion in deciding whether to issue remand orders. The court must consider whether there are reasonable grounds to believe a suspect could tamper with evidence, commit further offences or abscond through the north.
The lawyer said the circumstances of the case appeared unusual, particularly in light of police’s earlier position that they had been unable to identify the suspects after the original complaint.
