Founder of Cyprus Daily News arrested over defamation case
Boris Demash, the founder, owner, and editor-in-chief of Cyprus Daily News and the associated websites Cyprus-Daily.News and Cynews.cc, has been arrested in Cyprus, it was announced today.
An arrest warrant was issued by the Limassol District Court on June 23, 2025, in connection with an ongoing defamation case involving an alleged disinformation campaign targeting entrepreneur Alexey Gubarev.
The arrest warrant was issued after Demash failed to comply with the terms of a prohibitory injunction and did not appear before the court on the scheduled date to respond to a contempt application.
These developments follow a lengthy investigation into online efforts to damage Gubarev’s reputation through the publication of false and harmful content.
Cyprus Daily News, which describes itself as a social and political online publication, is not officially registered as a media outlet with the Press and Information Office in Cyprus.
Demash is alleged to be the principal figure behind the operation, coordinating the distribution of defamatory material through a shifting network of anonymous websites. According to court documents, these platforms repeatedly changed hosting providers in an apparent attempt to evade legal action and continue publishing despite multiple court orders.
He also reportedly failed to provide evidence to support the published claims and refused to participate in legal proceedings. His repeated absence from court hearings was noted by the judges, who concluded the accusations were baseless and amounted to malicious defamation.
Following the case submission, the court issued an order blocking access to all websites involved in the campaign and ordered the immediate removal of the offending content.
The case remains pending before the Limassol district court.