Supreme Court of Cyprus quashes arrest warrant for mother in custody dispute

On May 27, 2026, the Supreme Court of Cyprus issued a certiorari order to quash an arrest warrant previously issued by the Nicosia District Court. The warrant was directed at a mother involved in a criminal investigation regarding the alleged unlawful retention of her minor child outside of Cyprus amid a custody dispute. The Supreme Court determined that the lower court failed to provide sufficient justification for the warrant based on the principles of necessity and proportionality. Specifically, the ruling stated that the assertion that the warrant was necessary and desirable lacked the support of concrete evidence provided in the police testimony. The court emphasized that a judge's satisfaction with an arrest request must be supported by specific, credible facts. Consequently, the lack of proper reasoning was deemed a substantive legal error rather than a mere procedural formality. The decision underscores the judiciary's requirement for rigorous evidentiary standards when restricting individual freedom.