Justice Minister Costas Fytiris has issued an ultimatum to feuding prison unions, warning that a toxic “internal civil war” among correctional officers must end if the government is to successfully overhaul the country’s struggling penal system.
Making his third visit to the Central Prisons in just 14 days, Fytiris bypassed administrative briefings on Tuesday to speak directly with guards and inmates. Sources told Philenews that the Minister’s primary objective was to demand a de-escalation of hostilities between the long-standing PASYDY union and the rival Isotita (Equality) faction. The feud, which has devolved into public accusations of blackmail and corruption, is now viewed by the Ministry as a direct threat to the “mapping” of systemic reforms Fytiris was appointed to lead.
The administrative turmoil provided a backdrop to the seasonal release of 55 inmates—comprising 19 Cypriots and 36 foreign nationals—who were granted presidential pardons following recommendations from the Law Office. While the releases were intended as a symbolic Christmas gesture of leniency, the Minister used his presence at the facility to signal that such “human-centric” progress is being undermined by a staff environment he described as needing “lower tones and higher professionalism.”
The conflict intensified further on Wednesday when PASYDY’s prison branch “picked up the gauntlet,” accusing Isotita leaders of a “panic-driven” campaign of slander. In a stinging statement, PASYDY alleged that those decrying poor working conditions are often the same officers who “systematically absent themselves” through hundreds of days of sick leave while allegedly engaging in illegal second jobs.
Fytiris has signalled that his presence at the Central Prisons and Police Headquarters will be “continuous” over the festive period.
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