The case involving a complaint filed by an Iranian national, a permanent resident of Cyprus, who was allegedly abducted a year ago by officers of the Aliens and Immigration Service, beaten, drugged, and ultimately deported illegally to Tehran.

The story of 40-year-old Alexis, the father of two minor daughters—one of whom has a severe disability—was brought to light last June by AlphaNews.Live, with the Independent Authority for the Investigation of Allegations and Complaints against the Police (AAIPA) announcing immediately afterward that it had launched an investigation into the police officers involved.

According to our latest information, the two investigators who undertook the investigation of the alleged offenses on behalf of AADIPA have completed taking statements and gathering evidence and have forwarded the case file with recommendations to the Attorney General, George Savvidis, who will decide whether to bring criminal charges against the accused police officers, including an officer from the Special Anti-Terrorist Unit (YAM).

Upon contacting the Attorney General’s office, we were confirmed that the file had been received from AADIPA and has already been assigned to a legal officer for review.

With regard to the ECHR, last February, the court decided to accept, in the first instance, the application against Cyprus—which it had previously deemed admissible—and the case file was assigned a number to initiate proceedings.

The lawyer for the 40-year-old Iranian, Nikoletta Charalambidou, speaking to AlphaNews.Live, said that the ECHR is proceeding with the hearing as scheduled and has submitted questions to the Republic of Cyprus, which it is required to answer.

As for the petition, in addition to the father, it is co-signed by his wife and two daughters and concerns allegations regarding both the “abduction, beating, drugging, and illegal deportation” of the Iranian national to Tehran, as well as “violation of the right to family life” resulting from the father’s separation from his wife and children.

The timeline of the case

The story of 40-year-old Alexis, who is of Iranian origin and has been a permanent resident of Cyprus for 19 years, came to light last June through a report by AlphaNews.Live, which brought to light extremely serious allegations against the police—specifically against the Aliens and Immigration Service (YAM), which had been forwarded through his attorney, Nikoletta Charalambidou, to the offices of the relevant authorities.

The complaints essentially called into question the legality of actions taken by members of the YAM in connection with the deportation of the father of two minor girls, one of whom has a severe disability.

Moreover, the events described in his lawyer’s letter to the Authority for the Investigation of Allegations and Complaints against the Police (ADIPA), seemed—and still seem—at the very least outrageous, since they referred to illegal actions by police officers, such as beatings, threats, drugging, humiliation, and ultimately the deportation of the 40-year-old man to Tehran, without first being given the opportunity to speak with his family or his lawyer, and without being served any deportation order.

Similar letters had been sent both to the Commissioner for Administration and Human Rights, Maria Stylianou-Lottidou, and to the Commissioner for the Protection of Children’s Rights, Despo Michaelidou.

All of the above, as Nikoleta Charalambidou told us, had taken place in less than 24 hours, without any legal basis and in a manner that essentially constituted “abduction” by the state and the authorities themselves.

Meanwhile, shocked by their father’s abduction from their home, both of Alexis’s daughters—17-year-old Maria and 16-year-old Eleni—who were born and raised in Cyprus, had also spoken out. These are children from the 40-year-old’s first marriage, which ended unhappily when their mother abandoned them while they were still infants. At that time, the court had granted full custody of the children to their father, and his second wife, Leila, raised them as her own. With Alexis’s deportation, as his lawyer had told us at the time, his two minor daughters were left in limbo, since the only person who legally held custody of them—their father—had been deported. This essentially meant that if any decision needed to be made regarding these children—one of whom, Maria, has serious health issues and a disability— there was no one with parental authority to make that decision.

See the report we published on June 10, 2025:

The Alleged Events

Alexis was arrested on the afternoon of May 16 for unpaid fines totaling 1,800 euros as he was leaving his home in Limassol—and right before the terrified eyes of 17-year-old daughter, Maria, who watched helplessly from the window.

As soon as his wife, Leila, was informed of what had happened, she immediately went to the Limassol police station and paid the amount owed. However, instead of the 40-year-old being released, he remained in custody in one of the Limassol Police Department’s cells until the early hours of the next morning, when he was awakened and rushed to Menoyia. There, he was met by members of the Special Anti-Terrorism Unit (YAM) who were waiting at the scene and taken to Larnaca Airport, from where he was deported to Tehran under the escort of eight police officers.

His family in Limassol, from Friday, May 16—the day he was arrested—until Tuesday, May 20, kept calling his cell phone but could not reach him, and no matter which police station they went to, no one gave them a clear answer. They were informed of his deportation five days after his arrest, when he was finally able to call them from Tehran.

In a written letter to the police, Ms. Charalambidou requested immediate answers regarding the case, specifically regarding whether, prior to her client’s deportation, a relevant order had been issued, and if so, when. The response from the police also came in writing—five days later—and was limited to stating that her letter had been received and was “being processed.”

Nikoletta Charalambidou—Alexis’s
Attorney“It is inconceivable that a person who has been deported would require his lawyer’s inquiry—regarding, for example, whether a deportation order exists—to be “being processed,” because he may want to challenge it—he has the right to challenge it regardless of the fact that he has been deported.”

“Beatings, pills, a hood, and threats with a gun…”

We had contacted Alexis, who is still in Tehran, and he had described to us everything he claims happened in the early hours of Saturday, May 17, while hewas being held in one of the cells at the Limassol Police Headquarters.

Alexis: “They picked me
up in Menoyia… I saw other patrol cars with police officers waiting for us. As soon as I got out, one of them came over, grabbed my arm forcefully behind my back, and started punching me. The other officer grabbed my other arm and put his other hand around my neck. Take my word for it, I couldn’t breathe.”

At Larnaca Airport, Alexis was taken into a room alone with several police officers and without the presence of other travelers or airport staff.

Alexis
: “They took me through the other door at the back; we went into a large lounge with a few chairs, just the two of us. I walked in and saw that there were another 15 people waiting for me—all police officers… They brought me a cloth and told me I had to stand up to put it on… They forcibly took me to the restroom, pulled down my pants, and put the cloth on me… I couldn’t even speak or breathe because of the pain and anxiety… They gave me water; there were some drugs in it—I didn’t realize it… I asked to call my wife over two million times, but they told me I wasn’t allowed to. They wouldn’t even let me talk to my lawyer… They put a cloth over my mouth, taped it shut, and put something like a helmet on me—with that on, you can’t talk, you can only look straight ahead… I got on the plane, and several police officers came with me… After ten minutes, I calmed down; I didn’t understand anything, and I don’t remember anything.”

READ ALSO: “Threats, beatings, and deportation” of an Iranian: Not a word from the police regarding the shocking complaint against its members | AlphaNews

Upon their arrival in Tehran, Alexis was handed over by our four police officers to members of the Iranian police who were waiting for him. There, he was taken to a detention center, where he was interrogated and beaten during the first two days. On Wednesday, May 21, the Iranians released him on certain conditions.

Upon his release by the Iranian authorities, Alexis visited a doctor to have his injuries examined, which he claims were inflicted both by police officers here in Cyprus and by Iranian police officers in Tehran. The report from the doctor who examined him, dated May 21, 2025, states that injuries were found on the wrists of both hands, on his elbows, and severe internal injuries to his intestines.

READ ALSO: “Abuse and Illegal Deportation” of an Iranian: ADIPA Orders Criminal and Disciplinary Investigation Against Police Officers | AlphaNews

Obsessive persecution?

Alexis’s run-in with Cypriot authorities began in 2023 when he was firstwas arrested on suspicion of involvement in terrorism against Israeli citizens, even though he had been legally residing in Cyprus as a recognized refugee since 2007 and was self-employed in construction sector.

Both he and his family denied the charges against him from the very beginning; although the allegations were particularly serious, no criminal case was ever filed against him in court.

The police, however, continued in the following period to arrest him almost obsessively on the basis of deportation orders and to release him when those orders were subsequently overturned in.

On May 6, the last deportation order was overturned by a decision of the Administrative Court, which ordered his immediate release after 10 full months of detention.

Nikoletta Charalambidou—Alexis’s
Attorney“A few days before his deportation, a previous deportation order issued against him—allegedly for reasons of national security—was overturned by the Administrative Court, He was released only to be ensnared a few days later with his arrest, ostensibly for debts related to older fines dating back to 2016 and 2021… His wife paid the outstanding fines, yet his detention continued without any order being issued to inform him, and even though he requested to be informed whether there was a deportation order or anydetention order against him, he was told that “it will be issued” at an unspecified time. What does “a deportation order will be issued” mean? The authority to issue any deportation or detention order does not lie with the police; it lies with the Director of the Department of Aliens and Immigration. In any case, it does not fall under the jurisdiction of the police, and the police cannot know in advance—nor should they be able to know in advance—whether a deportation or detention order will be issued. And I doubt how the Director of the Immigration Department could have been in her office to sign such an order, since it had not yet been issued, and she signed it between Friday afternoon and early Saturday morning so that they could deport him. I question whether such an order even existed.”

READ ALSO: The shocking case of the “abduction and illegal deportation” of an Iranian, brought to light by AlphaNews.Live, is before the ECHR | AlphaNews

Both a “friend” and an “enemy” of the Israelis

Among the many strange aspects of the case is the fact that while Alexis had been arrested in Cyprus for involvement in terrorism against Israelis, in Iran, the authorities took him into custody from the Cypriot police as a suspect for collaborating in Cyprus with Israelis to the detriment of his own country.

In fact, as his lawyer alleges, Alexis was handed over to the Iranians by the Cypriot police under a different name and with forged travel documents.

Complaint against specific members of the YAM

In Ms. Charalambidou’s multi-page complaint to the Authority for the Investigation of Allegations and Complaints against the Police,  specific police officers allegedly involved in the case were named—one of whom was even a high-ranking officer.

The letters from the 40-year-old’s lawyer also accused a specific police officer who allegedly threatened Alexis with a gun at Larnaca Airport before his deportation.

READ ALSO: Shocking complaint against police officers: “Beating, threats, drugging, and illegal deportation” of the father of two minor girls | AlphaNews