This online article was published by the group Justice for Shoaib Khan on Facebook on 02/01/26.

VIGIL FOR SHOAIB KHAN 06.01.26

We gather in memory of Shoaib Khan, a 24-year-old Pakistani migrant who was murdered by Greek-Cypriot police on the 6th of January 2025. We remember Shoaib Khan by saying his name, by refusing to forget, standing in solidarity with the mourning family and by collectively fighting against the violence responsible for his murder.

Shoaib came to Cyprus from Pakistan in search of economic stability and a better future. Instead, he was pushed into precarity by racist migration policies, forced to live under constant threat of arrest. Unable to move freely, he risked his life crossing the buffer zone to work or see his family - an act in which he was ultimately killed on the 6/1/25. His body was found in Strovolos, with a bullet in his back. From the very beginning, the handling of his murder by the Cypriot authorities pointed to a deliberate cover-up. His death was initially declared “natural.” Days later it was publicly shared that a bullet was discovered in his body, and it was later revealed it was from a police gun. What followed were contradictory police statements, withheld information, and the absence of accountability. An inquest into his death will be beginning in late January, only after sustained pressure from Shoaib’s family and supporters, with evidence released slowly and inconsistently.

We stand against the violence of the migration policy. Locals and migrants together, we respond with class solidarity, building relationships and common struggles. We cannot undo the murder that has been done. We can, however, refuse to forget it. We can refuse to stay silent. We can ensure that we never again have murdered migrants.

We remember and demand justice for the death of Shoaib Khan and all others that died under the murderous Republic of Cyprus migration policies.

STOP THE WAR ON MIGRANTS

SOLIDARITY SMASHES BORDERS