Court upholds detention of monk charged with attempted murder at Cyprus monastery

Local murder attemptPaphosTop Newstrial Court upholds detention of monk charged with attempted murder at Cyprus monastery Agios Neophytos Monastery Cyprus 01 1 Relevant News Trauma, memory and the future 15 September 2026 Court upholds detention of monk charged with attempted murder at Cyprus monastery 15 September 2026 Diego Armando Aparicio: Queer is what hasn’t arrived yet 15 September 2026 newsroom 15 September 2026 FacebookXWhatsAppEmailPrintViber Cyprus’s Court of Appeal has unanimously rejected an appeal by monk Sorin Marian Mariuta against his continued detention. The court ruled that the original court made no error in assessing the risk of him absconding, and Mariuta will remain in custody until his appearance before the Paphos Criminal Court on 7 October. Mariuta faces a charge of attempted murder, along with two counts of acts intended to cause grievous bodily harm and two counts of causing injury. He also faces two counts relating to carrying a box cutter with a blade ending in a sharp point. In its ruling, dated 10 September, the Court of Appeal found that the original court had correctly approached the question of detention, taking into account both the seriousness of the offences and the sentences they carry, as well as the evidence relating to the risk that the defendant would not appear for trial. The Court of Appeal referred to the evidence that had been before the original court, which included testimony from people who were at the scene, a voluntary statement from Mariuta himself along with his own indications of the scene, and a written medical report. One written medical report stated that the wound suffered by one victim could have been fatal, had it been just two millimetres deeper. The court noted that the detention stage does not involve a subjective assessment of the evidence, nor does it examine the weight that should be given to witness statements, and that this is not the stage at which the voluntariness of the defendant’s own statement is examined. Based on the material before it, the Court of Appeal found the original court’s conclusion that there was a probability of the appellant’s conviction to be correct, and identified no omission that would justify a different ruling. The central argument of the appeal was that the defendant has strong ties to the Republic of Cyprus and that there was therefore no reason for him to remain in detention. Mariuta is a Cypriot citizen of Romanian origin who has been naturalised as a Cypriot citizen and has lived permanently in Cyprus since 2004 as a monk at the Agios Neophytos Monastery. Beyond his residency and citizenship, Mariuta also cited his close relationship with his father, who died and was buried in Cyprus, saying he visits his father’s grave daily. However, the Court of Appeal adopted the original court’s finding that, in the circumstances of the case, these ties to the place and its people were not sufficient to reduce the risk of him absconding. The ruling noted that even establishing a defendant’s ties to Cyprus is not, on its own, enough to rule out detention, and that the key question is how those personal circumstances might affect the risk of him failing to appear in court to face trial. The Court of Appeal stressed that personal liberty is the starting point, and that detention is an exceptional measure. It found, however, that in this case the original court had weighed all the relevant factors and had properly exercised its discretion. As a result, all five grounds of appeal were found to be without merit, and the appeal was rejected in its entirety, upholding the original detention order. Mariuta is now expected to appear before the Paphos Criminal Court on 7 October 2026. (Information from Cyprus News Agency) Subscribe to our Newsletter Latest News Trauma, memory and the future Diego Armando Aparicio: Queer is what hasn’t arrived yet Cyprus Ecologists to join Akrotiri protest against new antenna installations Cyprus bird conservation group warns of ‘trap’ as ELAM targets activists in parliament ‘Mafia state’: Police form investigative team for corruption probe naming Anastasiades The housing problem and the solutions on offer Cyprus hourly-paid state workers announce new strike, threaten 48-hour walkout Follow en.philenews on Google News and be the first to know all the news about Cyprus and the world.