The lawyer Lito Kariolou, acting on behalf of her client—an inmate who alleged he suffered repeated rapes by fellow prisoners at the Central Prison—is requesting a suspension of his sentence and the appointment of independent criminal investigators. Ms. Kariolou is also demanding that the officials involved in the Central Prison Administration be placed on suspension, as stated in a letter she forwarded to the Attorney General and the President of the Republic.
For its part, the Prisons Department, referring to media reports about the specific convict, issued an announcement on Saturday, noting that it “has been informed by the Police that the criminal investigation is at an advanced stage and upon completion of the examinations, the file will be immediately forwarded to the Law Office for study and further handling.” It adds that upon completion of the above process, the Prison Administration will take any other steps that may be required.
Nevertheless, Ms. Kariolou states that the appointment of an independent criminal investigator is an urgent necessity, “to ensure the full and effective investigation of all criminal offenses,” as she mentions, also speaking of “criminal offenses arising from the attempt to cover up criminal acts by the Central Prison Administration.”
She also requests the suspension of all involved officials, “to prevent intimidation or influence of witnesses,” as she notes, adding that “the present case is not essentially different from the 2014 gang rape case of an inmate, at which time the competent authorities placed prison guards on suspension and proceeded with the transfer of the then Director of the Central Prison.”
Ms. Kariolou notes that she has already submitted a related complaint to the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT) for full international supervision.
According to the complaint, as documented by the convict’s lawyer, her client suffered repeated rapes by his fellow inmates inside his cell, and the perpetrators administered a narcotic substance, causing him to lose consciousness. She also states that the client was beaten by the perpetrators and that the moments of abuse were recorded with a mobile phone, and the material was subsequently “distributed both inside and outside the prisons, as well as to the media, resulting in the complete humiliation and irreparable offense to his personality.”
The lawyer states, among other things, that “the investigation of the case by the Nicosia CID exhibits serious deficiencies” and that it violates her client’s right to effective protection. She notes that, regarding her request to take a supplementary deposition in her presence, the investigators informed her that the investigation was deemed “complete” and the file had been forwarded to the Law Office. She points out, however, that “they did not investigate the offenses of illegal recording and trafficking of the rape video.”
She also assigns responsibility to the Central Prison Administration for the failure to protect her client, while referring to “inhumane and degrading” detention conditions at Lakatamia Police Station, noting that her client had a serious foot infection and that her own intervention was necessary for him to receive medical care.
Presenting the chronology of events reported by her client, Ms. Kariolou states that the convict entered the Central Prison on August 8th and was transferred on August 14th to the heavy-duty wing, even though he is a short-term prisoner, as she notes. The abuse, she states, took place on August 15th and 16th.
Ms. Kariolou attributes “intent to cover up” to the Prison Administration, noting that “despite his official complaints, the officials did not inform the Police, did not arrange a forensic examination, and did not provide psychological support” to her client, and that “while they knew the perpetrators since August 18th, one of them was released from prison and remains free.”
She also notes that on August 25th, following a complaint by a relative of her client to the Police, the Nicosia CID took a statement from the complainant and that he was not informed of his right to legal aid.
She adds, furthermore, that on September 15th, “after the case was publicized by the media, the Prison Administration transferred him to the Lakatamia Police Station, where he is being held under inhumane conditions,” and that “during his transfer, he was informed for the first time about the existence of the rape video and its widespread circulation.”
