Interior ministry defends removal of parents’ names from new ID cards

The interior ministry on Wednesday defended its decision to remove parents’ names from Cyprus’ new biometric identity cards, saying the move was based on recommendations from the children’s rights commissioner, the position previously adopted by a majority of political parties, European practice and international standards.

In a statement issued amid growing political debate over the new IDs, the ministry said the issue had first been raised in 2012 by the commissioner for the protection of...