In a post, the president of the Independent Social Support Body (ISSB) and wife of the President of the Republic, Mrs. Philippa Karsera Christodoulidi, breaks her silence and announces her resignation from the Management Committee of the ISSB.
Mrs. Karsera Christodoulidi emphasizes that her decision aims to protect her personal integrity and her family’s reputation against false claims and defamatory attacks, while ensuring transparency in the operation of the Body.
What she states in her post
With sadness and great concern, my children and I have been witnessing relentless attacks on social media over the past 24 hours with the spread of false news, defamatory comments, and accusations from both named and anonymous accounts.
There is also a risk of further dissemination and indiscriminate mass reproduction of these malicious and unfounded claims, which constitutes defamation and a violation of my human rights and those of my family. Being the wife of the President of the Republic of Cyprus does not justify or excuse these baseless attacks and allegations.
Because I deeply believe that defending our rights is not just a right but an obligation, and that we must fight against such phenomena without showing tolerance, I have already sought legal advice. Once again, I reiterate that since taking office, adhering strictly to the legislation adopted in 2015 by the House of Representatives as president of the Management Committee of the Independent Social Support Body (March 2023), especially after increasing its budget and providing scholarships to many more children from needy families in 2024 and 2025, the attacks have become relentless.
Tomorrow, an extraordinary meeting of the ISSB Management Committee will be held where I will inform them of my decision to resign from the Committee. Not because I do not want to continue helping children—this has always been my sole driving force—but because I will not allow anyone to continue defaming my integrity, that of my husband, and my family under the pretext of operating the ISSB from which no member of the Management Committee derives any personal benefit.
I have decided to adopt the same stance regarding other charitable organizations where I gladly accepted to be executive president to support their activities as previous First Ladies did. We must all prevent individuals from being defamed with baseless claims for political, partisan, or electoral purposes. This is neither culture nor political ethics nor a way to gain public sympathy. On the contrary.
I know that people understand the truth and that justice always prevails. We do not need official titles or positions to help, nor do we need to be party officials. It is enough to remain Human with God within us, living rightly and justly. As a mother, I will always defend my family; as an active citizen, I will continue to stand by all children and vulnerable individuals who need me quietly, discreetly, and selflessly, faithfully upholding justice and defending everyone’s human rights.
