Cyprus – Two police officers found guilty last year of beating a man being held in a Polis Chrysochous holding cell were forced to leave the police force, it was announced on Tuesday.

The two officers, Panayiotis Eracleous and Carlo Dekermendjian, who were sentenced to a year in prison after they were seen beating up a 28-year-old man on video, were sentenced by a police disciplinary committee to forced resignation.

Their prison sentence, after being found guilty on two charges of causing grievous bodily harm and inflicting cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment with the aim of causing actual bodily harm, was announced last May.

After serving their sentences, a police disciplinary committee convened and decided that the two, who were still suspended, ought to leave the force.

The beating took place in February 2014 but the video was made public in August 2015 after it had been shown in court by the then 28-year-old’s lawyer who posted it on Facebook where it gained traction.

At the time Justice Minister Ionas Nicolaou had called for the suspension of both officers.

Source: http://cyprus-mail.com/2017/05/23/police-officers-videoed-beating-suspect-forced-resign/