Families of the two young people killed by defective Takata airbags in Cyprus—Kyriakos Oxinos (January 2023) and Styliani (Styliani) Giourgalli (October 2024)—say they have received no information for five months about the police investigations, despite a legal obligation to keep victims informed.

In an emotionally charged session of Parliament’s Human Rights Committee on Monday, MPs ordered a letter to the Chief of Police seeking clarity on whether probes cover 2023–2024 and whether the current Transport Minister, Alexis Vafeadis, is included—after he was reportedly excluded from the Legal Service’s findings based on the inquiry’s terms of reference.

• “If they can’t speak with the dead, let them speak with me,” said 2017 survivor Alexandros Loungou, holding back tears. “Let them see my scars, my wounds, my psychological state—this is what happens when you don’t do your job and hide the truth.”

• “I lost my daughter, a 19-year-old with her own dreams, to negligence, inadequacy and irresponsibility,” said Giannos Giourgallis, father of Styliani. He argued the Transport Minister had been warned of the lethal risk but “did nothing.”

• “Almost two years have passed and no one has informed us,” said Maria Loui, mother of Kyriakos Oxinos. She said the sole contact from the Department of Road Transport (TOM) was an SMS about the defective airbag—after her son’s car had already been given for spare parts.

The families said that if the outcome of the investigations is unsatisfactory, they are prepared to jointly appeal to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR).

Committee chair Irene Charalambidou (AKEL) said the Human Rights Committee will keep returning to the case “until justice is served,” calling the failure to act despite prior knowledge “criminal negligence” and warning of “interests and financial dealings” behind the handling. She also questioned why the inquiry mandate stopped at 2023 when Styliani was killed in October 2024.

VOLT MP Alexandra Attalidou called Takata “a first-order scandal,” saying the state failed to implement the law and protect victims. She described recently announced support measures as “a first but insufficient step,” insisting on political, disciplinary, and criminal accountability and proper compensation.

MPs Rita Superman, Andreas Apostolou and Stavros Papadouris criticized state inertia and transparency gaps. Papadouris revealed that a vehicle importer submitted a document seeking to be exempted from the “economic operator” category to avoid compensation liabilities, calling for justice “without fear or favor.”

According to the Legal Service, the fatality of Kyriakos Oxinos was examined by the Police and a file was sent for directions and further action, with indications of an airbag malfunction. Traffic Department chief Charis Evripidou said three cases have been examined: one file has gone to the Legal Service with instructions received, while the most recent case awaits external expert opinions. He pledged to personally ensure families are updated, even as the case files have been forwarded to the Crime Combating Department.

Relatives recalled that Cyprus authorities had been receiving signals for years: reports since at least 2008; RAPEX notifications to TOM in 2013; citizen letters to the Transport Ministry in 2015–2016; and a 2017 circular issued just before Loungou himself was severely injured. Family members and MPs stressed that dangerous vehicles with Takata airbags are still circulating on Cypriot roads—and pointed to another recent Takata-related fatality in the occupied areas under similar weather and heat conditions.

The Human Rights Committee will send a formal letter to the Chief of Police requesting confirmation that the investigations extend through 2023–2024 and clarity on who is included—explicitly naming the Transport Minister. Families demand immediate, regular updates under Law 51(I)/2016 and say they will escalate to the ECHR if accountability and compensation are not delivered.