Minister of Justice Costas Fytiris has pledged a “swift, substantial and comprehensive intervention” to address systemic issues at the Central Prisons, including decongestion and a major upgrade of inmate living conditions.
The announcement followed an urgent meeting with President Nikos Christodoulides, held after the deaths of two inmates in one week.
The Minister visited the correctional facility immediately following the incident, receiving updates from both the Police and Prisons Administration on the preliminary findings of the investigation into the death. Mr Fytiris gave instructions for the swift completion of the probe to clarify the circumstances of the fatality.
During the subsequent meeting with President Christodoulides, the Minister confirmed he had formed a clear picture of the facility’s needs and assured the President of his determination to tackle “long-standing problems”.
The Ministry of Justice announced that its priorities include immediate, medium-term, and long-term measures focused on three core axes:
- Decongestion of the Central Prisons.
- Improving the living conditions of inmates.
- Upgrading surveillance and control to end delinquent and criminal behaviour within the institution.
The Ministry stressed that these actions are essential to ensure the facility operates with full respect for the rule of law and national and international human rights laws concerning all detainees and staff. The discussion also included the outstanding issue of filling the vacant position of permanent director at the Central Prisons.
The recent deaths occur amid a severe, long-running crisis at the Nicosia Central Prisons, where conditions have been formally deemed by the Council of Europe’s Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT) as constituting inhuman and degrading treatment.
Reports from the CPT’s 2023 and 2025 visits confirm that the facility is chronically overcrowded, with prisoners often held in spaces of less than 6m2 and forced to sleep on the floor.
The crisis is exacerbated by chronic understaffing, which has undermined basic safety and security protocols, leading to high levels of inter-prisoner violence and a breakdown in institutional control.
This volatile environment has been linked to the failure to adequately support vulnerable inmates and address the significant suicide risk. Furthermore, the CPT has specifically condemned the continued use of the Central Prisons to hold minors in unhygienic conditions lacking essential services, urging authorities to immediately transfer all children and young adults to a suitable facility.
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