The government has postponed opening Cyprus’s first dedicated juvenile detention facility until mid-2026 due to delays in relocating migrants currently held at the Menogeia Foreigners Detention Centre.
The facility conversion depends on completion of the Limnes Pre-Removal Centre, which will house migrants currently detained at Menogeia.
Justice Minister Marios Hartsiotis and Children’s Rights Commissioner Despo Michaelidou inspected the Menogeia site on Tuesday, reviewing infrastructure modifications needed to create child-friendly detention conditions.
Menogeia facility conversion awaits migrant relocation
Parliament extended the juvenile detention facility deadline to 1 January 2026 in 2024. The child-friendly justice law establishing juvenile detention was passed in 2021.
The Limnes facility, designed as Europe’s largest pre-departure centre with capacity for 1,100 foreign nationals, was originally scheduled for completion in August 2025. Current projections indicate handover to the Migration Ministry between December 2025 and January 2026.
The Council of Ministers approved converting the Menogeia detention centre into a juvenile facility on 4 September 2024. The site will house both long-term juvenile detention and police holding cells for minors.
Central Prisons will oversee juvenile custody, whilst police maintain overall facility security. Staff working directly with children will come from the broader public sector, with only management contracted to private operators.
Children’s rights commissioner inspects detention conditions
Michaelidou expressed concerns regarding existing razor wire and the facility’s prison-like appearance during her inspection. She requested removal of razor wire, heightened railings, and repainting to reduce the institutional atmosphere.
The commissioner praised cell dimensions, space configuration, and outdoor areas designated for juvenile activities. Planned facilities include recreation rooms, classrooms, psychologist offices, medical facilities, educational spaces, and internet access areas.
Five juvenile offenders are currently held in a special wing at Central Prisons.
Under the 2021 legislation, criminal prosecution and detention represent last resort measures for children, applied only in serious cases or when alternative measures have failed.
Special children’s courts, established in May 2021, handle juvenile cases and can impose alternatives to detention including warnings, fines, supervision, community service for those over 16, day centre referrals, or treatment centre placement.
“Detention is the last option,” Hartsiotis stated, noting that any juvenile custody would occur in specialised facilities with reformative, educational, therapeutic and welfare characteristics.
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