On 13 May the district judge in Iskele acknowledged the closure of the case against Ryan Keating and ordered the cancellation of his bond arrangement.
Ryan had been charged with illegally importing Christian books and producing wine without a license following a joint police and customs raid on his home in Iskele district and Exile Café in Famagusta district in January 2021. This led to court cases in both districts. Later he was also charged with providing unauthorised barista training and classes in wine appreciation at Exile Café.
In March 2022 Ryan conceded the charge of producing wine without a license – an application for the renewal of the license had been made but the police raid took place before it had been granted – and was fined 1,000TL (US$67 at that time). There was also a suspended fine of 5,000TL, to be activated in the event of a further offense.
In 2023, the accusation of having illegally imported books – his various Bibles and other Christian materials – at Ryan’s home address in Iskele was set aside pending a decision from the Famagusta District Court.
On 15 April the case was settled in Famagusta District Court when Ryan admitted the charges of illegal storage of Bibles and providing unauthorised training. The judge waived punishment for conducting unauthorised training, but set a fine of 10,000TL (US$265) for storage of the Christian books that had not been subjected to customs’ duties.
In May Ryan’s lawyer filed a motion with Iskele District Court to have the case permanently withdrawn and to have Ryan’s bond arrangement cancelled. They also asked to have the confiscated Bibles returned.
Ryan, who is soon permanently moving from Cyprus, is thankful that the court procedure has been concluded and is waiting for the confiscated Bibles to be returned.
