Parliament debate on curbing anti-poaching activists divides MPs

Local parliamentpoachingTop News Parliament debate on curbing anti-poaching activists divides MPs Lathrothiria Relevant News Parliament debate on curbing anti-poaching activists divides MPs 14 September 2026 Erosion leaves Oroklini promenade collapsing near hotels 14 September 2026 Mainly clear Monday, 37 degree peak 14 September 2026 Angelos Nicolaou 14 September 2026 FacebookXWhatsAppEmailPrintViber A parliamentary Environment Committee debate scheduled for next Wednesday has triggered sharp controversy, after an item on the activity of bird-protection and anti-poaching organisations operating in Cyprus was added to the agenda. The item effectively targets the Committee Against Bird Slaughter (CABS), an international organisation active both globally and locally in identifying illegal traps, lime sticks and nets, and which works with the Republic’s authorities. Environmental groups say the real question is whether the parliamentary process will strengthen anti-poaching enforcement or turn into a vehicle for targeting the people who expose illegal bird trapping on the island. They say the item’s path onto the agenda was itself marked by intense backstage manoeuvring and repeated disagreement among parliamentary parties. ELAM MPs Linos Papayiannis and Linos Ioannis Hadjigeorgiou first filed the item on June 23, 2026, under the title “Request for an ex officio examination of the uncontrolled action of so-called activists and the need to take immediate measures to address the phenomenon.” Papayiannis and Hadjigeorgiou argued the request was necessary, saying: “The increasing occurrence of incidents attributed to so-called activists creates intense public concern and highlights the need to examine the issue by the competent parliamentary Committee, with the aim of assessing the extent of the phenomenon’s effects, as well as examining the need to take appropriate legislative or other measures to ensure public order and normal social functioning.” When the request was first presented, every other political party objected strongly to ELAM’s title and wording, calling it demeaning and a form of targeting. During discussions to register the item last Wednesday, AKEL proposed a neutral compromise title, “The action of activist organisations,” but the proposal failed to secure a majority and was rejected. A fresh political clash broke out the same day when the agenda was finalised. ELAM, DISY and DIKO backed registering the item under a revised title, “The effects of the action of specific activist organisations and activists active in the environmental sector and the assessment of the need to take measures to address the phenomenon.” AKEL and ALMA voted against it, openly disputing the purpose and spirit of the debate, while Direct Democracy Cyprus did not take a position. As the dispute over activists’ role escalated in parliament, CABS published the first results of its autumn campaign in Cyprus. According to an official post by the organisation, its teams identified two poachers in the first days of the campaign in the Famagusta district. Game and Fauna Service officers arrested them for using illegal decoy sounds and banned hunting weapons to attract quails and ambelopoulia (blackcaps). A third person was arrested after placing four illegal nets. Almost 30 lime sticks were removed at a fourth site, in cooperation with a Game and Fauna Service team. In total, tips from CABS members led to the seizure of four nets, four sound-lure devices, one long-barrelled firearm and 28 lime sticks. Activists also released 44 protected birds unharmed, including nightingales, shrikes, reed warblers and ambelopoulia. €13,500 fine for 36-year-old Separately, police said an out-of-court settlement notice of €13,500 was issued to a 36-year-old over a poaching case brought under legislation protecting wild birds and game. The case began when members of the Anti-Poaching Squad, part of the Rapid Response Motorised Unit (ARU), found 17 wild birds trapped in nets inside a fenced field in the Larnaca district last Tuesday. Five trapping nets and a device that mimics bird calls were also found at the site. The 17 birds were released back into the wild, and follow-up checks identified the 36-year-old as the person managing the site. The Kofinou Regional Police Station is investigating, working with the Game and Fauna Service. Who was summoned to parliament Wednesday’s session is expected to be tense. Representatives called to attend include officials from the Ministry of Justice, the Police, the Game Service and the Law Office, along with local authorities (the mayors of Paralimni and Ayia Napa, the deputy mayor of Troulloi and the community leader of Alaminos), as well as representatives of the environmental groups Terra Cypria and the Federation of Environmental Organisations of Cyprus. 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