Cyprus parliament discusses bill on constitutional amendment for surveillance powers

The Cypriot Parliamentary Legal Committee held an emergency session on Wednesday to discuss a package of bills, including the 23rd amendment to Article 17 of the Constitution. This amendment aims to allow the surveillance of private communications to combat terrorism, organized crime, and threats to state security. Justice Minister Costas Fytiris, Attorney General George Savvides, and Committee Chairman Nikos Tornaritis have pushed for urgent adoption of these measures. The legislative changes grant the Attorney General authority to authorize the lifting of communication confidentiality for state security reasons without a prior court order. The opposition party AKEL has raised strong objections, particularly concerning the power granted to the Attorney General to bypass judicial oversight. An extraordinary meeting of the Legal Committee is scheduled for Friday at 10:00 to finalize positions before the bill moves to the plenary session. The constitutional amendment requires a supermajority of 38 out of 56 votes in the House of Representatives.