This maintains a system ripe for abuse in case such as this one and many more with which that we are currently dealing.'Ī spokesperson from the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said: 'We provided assistance to a British man who was arrested in Cyprus'.Ĭyprus Police did not respond to a request for comment. 'The Cypriot Parliament has promised to make improvements following high profile cases involving visitors, but none have eventuated. 'This problem in Cyprus is accentuated by the fact that the Police in Cyprus do not wear body worn cameras, there is no recording of anything which happens in Police cars or even the Police station, and there is not even a proper record system for noting the time of arrests of individuals and the reason for arrest. 'This is another worrying case involving the Cypriot Police who feel like they can treat foreign nationals as they wish with impunity,' said Justice Abroad, responding to MailOnline. On the page, he wrote that he had contacted Justice Abroad - an organisation that helps tourists who get into legal trouble while abroad. Mr Kan, who has set up a GoFundMe page to help cover the legal fees, said: 'It's not right what they've done. He has been to therapy after being diagnosed with PTSD, something which had initially stopped him from working. As a result, he is in £7,000 worth of debt, both for legal fees and living costs for not being able to work.
Mr Kan, a data privacy analyst, initially found hope in the thought of justice being served, but he has still struggled with severe mental health problems following the incident. He was told he would be reimbursed for these charges, though the lawyer allegedly stopped helping him when Mr Kan refused to pay more money. Mr Kan, who is originally from Hong Kong, has been living in London since 2012 and went on holiday to Ayia Napa with friends in September last year Mr Kan, who believes the officers' motives were racist, said: 'They said I was posing a threat to the public by assaulting police, not wearing a mask in public, drinking in public - everyone is drinking in public, it's Ayia Napa.'Įventually, Mr Kan, said he was able to get in touch with the British Embassy, who ensured that he left the country safely. He said he was advised to start a legal case against the police with a local lawyer, which cost him £3,000. He also claims the police took him to a court house where the police forced him into making a confession without any legal representation, and made him pay a fine. He said he was then driven to a nearby hospital and made to take a Covid test, despite being double vaccinated and there being no legal requirement to take one.
Mr Kan said he spent around eight hours in the cell and during that time, he had no contact with anyone outside of the jail. Pictured: Jonathan Kan shows bruising he sustained in the alleged attack. On just the second night of the trip, Mr Kan, 34, said he was targeted by local police due to his ethnicity