A man who alleged he was raped at Central Prison in August 2025 gave a five-hour testimony to two senior criminal investigators on Holy Wednesday, after nearly two months of attempts to arrange the meeting.
The complainant, who is being held on remand awaiting a court decision in a separate criminal case, testified at police cells in the presence of his lawyer, Lito Kariolou. The investigators were Andreas Paschalidis, president of the Independent Authority for the Investigation of Complaints and Allegations Against the Police, and Menelaos Tsangaridis, vice-president of the authority.
According to Phileleftheros sources, the complainant repeated his account of what he experienced at Central Prison and set out his complaints against prison wardens and, subsequently, against the police investigators who handled his case. He alleged that wardens delayed investigating his complaint, ignored his request to be moved to another wing — which he said led to a second rape — and delayed his examination by a doctor.
The case has already seen three successive police investigative teams. The first Nicosia CID inquiry was halted after complaints of inadequate investigation: investigators failed to retrieve relevant video footage published online and took no statements from prison wardens. The Law Office directed the case to CID headquarters, after which it was assigned to the office responsible for cases involving vulnerable persons.
Following yesterday’s testimony, investigators are expected to study the statement and take evidence from those named in it, before calling anyone whose acts or omissions allegedly failed to prevent the rape or amounted to an inadequate investigation.
‘Another night of rape followed’
Kariolou had previously complained that the prison administration ignored her client’s request to be moved to a different wing after the first night of the assault. “He asked to change wing to be safe. The specific warden who received the request did not even ask why my client was making the request and told him to repeat the request from Monday. After they refused to follow or take into account his request to change wing, another night of rape followed,” she said.
She also alleged delays in her client’s examination by a doctor, psychologist and forensic doctor, and said he had been forced to sign a document stating he had no complaint against the prison administration or any other person.
“No one informed my client of his rights as a victim of a serious criminal act. For the first time, the CID investigators handed him the booklet of victims’ rights in my presence last Saturday, September 27,” she said.
Two face trial over rape
Two people — a convicted prisoner and a former prisoner — have been charged in connection with the rape. They face six counts, including conspiracy to commit a felony under Article 371 of the Criminal Code and rape under Article 144 of the Criminal Code, as amended.
Both are accused of sexually assaulting a fellow prisoner on August 15 and 16, 2024, in their cell at Central Prison. The case is before an Criminal Court and the trial has not yet begun.
