The operational crisis at Cyprus’s Central Prisons reached a critical point following the death of an inmate by apparent suicide in the early hours of Saturday.
The incident prompted an emergency meeting between President Nikos Christodoulides and Minister of Justice Costas Fytiris, even as the head of a prisoners’ rights group condemned the prison’s ongoing conditions as a “crime” due to severe overcrowding and understaffing.
Minister Fytiris held a brief session with the President after making an urgent visit to the facility to investigate the death, the cause of which remains pending the results of a formal autopsy. The Minister informed the President of his initial findings and stated that he has now formed a clear picture of the issues requiring urgent attention.
Fytiris is preparing a report to deliver to the President in the coming days, outlining his proposals for remedial works and actions. The high-level discussion also addressed the immediate priority of filling the vacant position of permanent director at the Central Prisons.
Clerides cites CPT in demand for immediate consultation
Alexandros Clerides, President of the Association for the Protection of Prisoners’ Rights, intensified pressure on the government in a sharply worded letter, stating that the prison is demonstrably failing to provide basic security and putting lives at risk.
Clerides cited the findings of the Council of Europe’s Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT) reports from 2023 and 2025, which confirm the prison is operating “in the red” due to under-resourcing and chronic staff shortages. He asserted that the government’s continued failure to act constitutes a deliberate danger: “The existence and maintenance of this situation in itself constitutes a crime, as it demonstrably endangers human lives, with the responsible individuals unable to provide basic security. No inmate can feel safe under this regime, and their families cannot be at ease about what tomorrow will bring.”
Clerides went on to directly criticise the government’s choice of advisors: “The government cannot agree to listen to suggestions from the same individuals who created the problems and who constitute the problem themselves, as it appears that these individuals lack a basic understanding of the problems. Either they try and fail, or simply nobody tries.”
He further claimed that some individuals in the current Central Prisons Administration have been repeatedly reported for disciplinary and criminal offences. Clerides argued that instead of investigating these allegations, these individuals are now holding positions of power with influence over policy.
Arguing that his association’s warnings have been validated by the CPT, Clerides demanded an immediate presence alongside the Minister of Justice at any meeting held at the Presidential Palace concerning the prison. He stressed that his association is uniquely qualified, having been “unfortunately proven absolutely correct on all the points we have been shouting about for so long, while everyone else minimised us as being excessive.”
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