The hearing for the Al Jazeera citizenship case is set to begin on January 13, as the Criminal Court rejected a request by the Prosecution to postpone proceedings by 15 days. The request was made to finalize an agreed-upon statement of facts and reduce witness testimony.

Prosecuting attorney Haris Karaolidou explained that efforts had been made to communicate with the defense lawyers to establish common ground regarding admissible facts, which would allow the preparation of a consolidated statement. However, these discussions have not yielded results.

Karaolidou also highlighted logistical challenges, including the absence of a key witness currently outside the Republic of Cyprus. Attempts to contact this witness have so far been unsuccessful. She stated that if the witness cannot testify, the Prosecution will reassess the charges related to this testimony, potentially narrowing the scope of the case.

Additionally, Karaolidou pointed to her involvement in another case requiring her presence three times a week, arguing that a 15-day extension would allow for the preparation of a comprehensive list of agreed facts, ultimately saving judicial time.

The defense lawyers opposed the postponement. Christos Triantafyllides, representing Dimitris Syllouris, stated that his client was ready to proceed and had already shared a list of admissible facts with the Prosecution via email. However, the Prosecution claimed not to have received this correspondence and deemed it unlikely to agree to the proposed facts at first glance.

George Papaioannou, representing Christakis Tziovannis, noted that consultations with co-defense lawyer Andreas Pittadjis suggested that 17 witnesses might not need to testify, as their statements could be accepted as facts. Papaioannou also expressed his client's preference to begin proceedings as scheduled.

Pittadjis further argued against the postponement, stating that it was "pointless and counterproductive" to set a new date without knowing how the situation with the absent witness might evolve. He emphasized that any significant developments could alter the agreed facts and the need for certain testimonies.

The President of the Criminal Court ruled against postponing the hearing, stating that any developments regarding the absent witness or admissible evidence would be addressed as they arise. "We expect the case to proceed as scheduled on January 13," he said.

The Court also requested that the defense indicate whether any issues of a trial within a trial might arise regarding contested evidence. Papaioannou replied that such issues were possible if evidence was deemed to violate constitutional rights, though he noted that the evidence in question might not be interlinked, making a single trial within a trial impractical.