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Lawyer of Abbakoum Monastery Monks: Supreme Court Examining Method of Evidence Seizure

Published February 9, 2026, 14:13
Lawyer of Abbakoum Monastery Monks: Supreme Court Examining Method of Evidence Seizure

The lawyer for the monks of the Abbakoum Monastery, Mr. Eustathios Eustathiou, stated that the recent decision of the Supreme Court raises serious issues of legality and constitutional order regarding the manner in which evidence was obtained and held by the Police. The Supreme Court recognized that the disputed evidence did not come into the possession of the Police through legal police investigation, but through voluntary delivery by the Metropolis. Mr. Eustathiou emphasized that the case is not a simple property dispute, but concerns the residence, faith, and private life of the monks, which are protected by the Constitution and European law. Furthermore, the material concerns internal spaces and sensitive data, such as confessions, which constitute the core of privacy protection. The Supreme Court has opened the way for substantial judicial review through the certiorari process, to examine the issues of legality. Mr. Eustathiou stressed that no institution, state or ecclesiastical, can operate above the laws and rights that protect human dignity and privacy.