In the aftermath of the events leading to the death of the young Anisur Rahman from Bangladesh last Wednesday morning, a protest event took place in Limassol.
The protesters gathered outside the Limassol Police Headquarters.
Initially, the demonstrators assembled in the area of Ayia Napa church in the centre of Limassol, near the apartment building where the young man lived.
From that point, they marched towards the Limassol Police Headquarters, holding banners that read “The state murders migrants” and chanting slogans such as “Limassol has become a graveyard for migrants.”
Yesterday, a short protest for Rahman’s death was also held during the opening of the Cyprus Film Days International Film Festival at Rialto Theatre in Limassol.
Early on Wednesday, police officers raided an apartment on the fifth floor of a building in Limassol, acting on a tip about undocumented migrants living there.
Two men, both foreign nationals, attempted to escape, jumping from the window.
The fall killed 19-year-old Anisur Rahman, a worker from Bangladesh, while the other man suffered severe injuries, leading to his hospitalisation.
Anti-racist organisation KISA has disputed the version of events offered by the police over the raid, referring to eyewitnesses stating that the police entered forcefully into the apartment without the occupants’ consent.
Maria Stylianou Lottides, the Commissioner for Administration and Human Rights Protection, has launched an independent inquiry to ascertain the events leading to the young man’s death.
A leaflet handed out at the protest notes that “It is our duty to flood the streets, locals and migrants alike, to now demand the obvious, that they cannot play with our lives. It is our duty not to let this murder go unanswered.”
