Two women have been arrested as part of an investigation by Cyprus Police’s Cybercrime Sub-Division into a abuse case involving audiovisual material broadcast live on a social media platform.
Police said the investigation concerns footage in which individuals are seen allegedly encouraging another person to engage in acts that violate his dignity.
The arrests were made under court warrants issued after investigators assessed the evidence gathered during the inquiry. The two suspects are expected to appear before a court on Thursday for the issuance of detention orders.
According to the investigation, the two women are alleged to have encouraged a young man to expose his genitals during the livestream.
Video sparked public outrage
The case relates to a video circulated on TikTok that prompted widespread public reaction after two women allegedly encouraged a young man with Down syndrome to expose himself during a live broadcast.
According to SigmaLive information, members of the public reported the incident to police, triggering the investigation.
The same information indicates that an earlier complaint had already been filed on 1 June. However, the investigation was reportedly suspended at the time because the individuals involved could not be identified.
Disability organisations renewed pressure
The abuse case returned to public attention following intervention by organisations representing people with disabilities, leading to renewed criticism over how the matter had been handled.
Speaking to CyBC on Thursday morning, Cyprus Confederation of Organisations of the Disabled (KYSOA) President Themis Anthopoulou urged the public to stop sharing the video.
She said that “circulating the video is equivalent to the abuse recorded in it.”
Anthopoulou also questioned why a private citizen was reportedly able to identify those appearing in the video within an hour, while police had been unable to do so for almost two months.
She said the Down Syndrome organisation had been told that identifying the individuals and the accounts involved had not been possible, but expressed the view that the case had not received the necessary attention.
Anthopoulou added that she had contacted the Ministry of Justice and said she was informed that her concerns were well founded.
While noting that disability organisations often cooperate effectively with the police, she argued that, in this case, there would have been no progress without the intervention of members of the public.
Also read: Outrage in Cyprus over video of disabled person forced to expose genitals
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