Even before CY-Alert goes live, the Pan-Cyprian Organization of the Deaf is protesting the lack of equal access to early warning systems.
Ensuring equal and effective access for deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals to early warning systems is a state obligation, according to a report by Maria Stylianou-Lottidi, Commissioner for Administration and the Protection of Human Rights, who, speaking on the Alpha News program, explained that the complaint filed by PAOK was filed in 2025 against the Civil Defense Department.
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“They had complained at the time about the sirens, saying they couldn’t respond to this type of warning.”
Ms. Lottidi noted that although responses were provided—stating that Cy-Alert, which had not yet been operational at the time, “a year later, while we were expecting some improvements or modifications to the emergency systems, unfortunately none were made.”
While the authorities acknowledge the existing gap, so far there has been no improvement, according to Ms. Lottidi, since May 2025, when the first response was received from Civil Defense stating “that a process is underway.”
“That is why we are calling for timelines to be set now, so we do not have to wait indefinitely for the necessary arrangements to be made.”
Ms. Lottidi emphasized that “it is a matter of safety; it is a matter of life—or sometimes death—and it is a matter of physical integrity. We cannot indefinitely acknowledge the gap and say we’ll fix it, only to find ourselves in the same situation a year later.”
