Judge Doria Varoshiotou, who ruled that the 2005 death of Cypriot Australian national guardsman Thanasis Nicolaou was not suicide but a criminal act, will not be made a permanent judge after completing her two-year probationary term.
According to the Cyprus News Agency (CNA), lawyers were notified via a court notice in Limassol that her judicial service had concluded, with pending cases now to be reassigned.
In 2024, Varoshiotou delivered a landmark ruling overturning previous conclusions of suicide and stating Nicolaou had died by strangulation.
The verdict sparked public applause and emotional reactions in the courtroom, having come after years of legal battles with state prosecutors.
Following her decision, Varoshiotou was reassigned from the criminal division to the civil division. She later revealed that the president of the Limassol court had attempted to pressure her into altering the findings of two separate inquests — an attempt she formally resisted.
CNA noted that it is highly unusual for a judge not to be confirmed after their probationary period, but no official comment has yet been made by the Supreme Judicial Council.
Source: Cyprus Mail
