The Cyprus Union of Journalists has publicly condemned an incident of police violence against a journalist during the performance of her professional duties on Thursday night. The incident took place during a spontaneous protest held by citizens outside the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Nicosia, expressing opposition to the arrest of crew members from a flotilla heading to Gaza.

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The CUJ is calling on the Chief of Police to launch a thorough investigation, stressing that any officers found to have acted improperly must face exemplary disciplinary action.

In its official statement, the CUJ described the act as "unacceptable and condemnable," noting that the protest was in response to "the piratical arrest of solidarity flotilla crews by Israeli security forces," an operation aiming to support the Palestinian people.

According to the CUJ, the journalist subjected to police violence was Bisan Ibrahim, a Palestinian reporter who lives and works in Cyprus.

The statement further claims that Ibrahim identified herself as a journalist four separate times, yet "police officers continued to use violence against her, pushing her and knocking her to the ground twice, while she was also sprayed directly in the face with pepper spray."

"Journalists in a well-governed democratic state must be able to carry out their work freely and without obstruction," the CUJ emphasized.