MPs clash over anti-poaching activists at House environment committee

Nicosia, Cyprus. MPs clashed on Wednesday over the conduct of anti-poaching activists, amid claims that the House environment committee was targeting such groups without allowing them to respond.

Committee dispute

Akel MP Giorgos Loukaides accused committee chairman and Elam MP Linos Papayiannis of deliberately targeting environmental organisations.

“You put the organisations on the bench, but you do not allow them to be present here,” Loukaides said.

He asked whether any activist had been convicted by the courts and how many complaints had been filed against licensed hunters.

“We must defend the law and not those breaking it,” he said.

Claims over organisations

Papayiannis said the session concerned one specific organisation, understood to be the committee against bird slaughter (CABS), and a second group working alongside it, rather than environmental organisations in general.

He accused the two groups of obstructing hunters and said a record of their activities had been submitted to the justice ministry.

Game and fauna service head Pantelis Hadjigerou, responding to questions from Akel MP Nikos Kettiros, said the second organisation was neither Terra Cypria nor BirdLife.

Call for stronger enforcement

Hadjigerou referred to “terrorised legal hunters” who were unable to file complaints and called for the anti-poaching police branch to be strengthened.

Responding to criticism of the meeting’s invite list, he said that 325 hunting representatives and 18 environmental organisation representatives “could not all be accommodated”.