The Nicosia District Court on Friday 31 October ordered a three-day remand for 30-year-old Turkish Cypriot Cenk Tosunoglu, who was arrested on Thursday morning at the Agios Dometios crossing point. Police say the arrest followed information transmitted through Europol indicating possible involvement in a child pornography case.
According to the Cyprus Police, the case concerns an ongoing investigation into offences related to child sexual abuse material. Authorities requested the court remand to allow investigators to examine electronic devices and take further statements.
The Father’s Response
Hasan Tosunoglu, a Turkish Cypriot politician and father of the detainee, described the allegations as “horrific misinformation” and “defamation.” In an initial post hours after the arrest, he suggested political motives. In a later post around 23:00 on Thursday, after Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot media reported police information about the alleged offence, he said he would challenge what he called a “biased and political stance” by the Greek Cypriot justice system by all means, including an application to the European Court of Human Rights.
In his subsequent comments, widely cited by Turkish Cypriot media, Hasan Tosunoglu questioned references to Europol in Greek Cypriot reports, arguing that Europol cooperates with the forces in the north and asking why the agency would “wait” for a person to cross south to be detained. He claimed later Greek Cypriot reports omitted Europol from their coverage and alleged an effort to mislead the public and incite “extrajudicial executions.”
Hasan Tosunoglu said “prejudiced people” were making baseless accusations against “an innocent young man,” adding that a computer examination would demonstrate his son’s innocence. He accused the Cyprus Police of pursuing character assassination without legal basis and insisted Cenk is innocent. He thanked supporters who withhold judgment and called on others to respect the presumption of innocence.
Political Dimension Raised by the Father
In his first post, the politician suggested the incident could be linked to his role as one of the drafters of a “two states” legislative proposal adopted by the assembly in the north.
The Turkish Cypriot newspaper Avrupa on Friday led with the headline “Child Pornography,” citing Greek Cypriot online reports and the father’s initial post.
Police are expected to continue forensic examinations of devices and obtain further testimony during the three-day remand.