Former Cypriot judge appeals termination to European Court of Human Rights

Former district judge Doria Varoshiotou has filed an appeal with the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) challenging her dismissal from the Cypriot judiciary. Her lawyer, Achilleas Demetriades, submitted the application following a 5-3 decision by the Supreme Constitutional Court on February 6, 2026, which upheld the termination of her services. Varoshiotou contends that her removal was a direct retaliation for her refusal to modify a judicial finding she issued on May 10, 2024, regarding the death of Thanasis Nicolaou. She alleges that she was pressured by the Administrative President of the Limassol District Court on May 13, 2024, to change the report. Furthermore, she claims that she received critical remarks from the President and a judge of the Supreme Court during a private meeting on June 28, 2024. While the authorities officially cited errors in handling forensic testimony as the cause for her dismissal, Varoshiotou maintains that her decisions were based on proper legal procedure and scientific evidence following the exhumation of the body. She argues that the judicial officials involved in her removal were the same individuals who previously reviewed and validated her findings in the Nicolaou case, suggesting a lack of institutional impartiality.