The Central Prisons in Nicosia are facing a crisis of severe overcrowding and poor living conditions, according to allegations raised in a recent parliamentary committee meeting.
The House Human Rights Committee examined detention conditions following a report by the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture.
Committee Chair Eirini Charalambidou described “inhuman conditions” due to overcrowding, with inmates sleeping on floor mattresses and reports of informal physical punishment.
The prison, designed to hold 600 inmates, currently houses over 1,000, including 570 foreigners. Common areas have reportedly been converted into makeshift rooms accommodating up to 40 people, whilst small cells house four to five inmates, some without toilets.
Giorgos Maltezos, representing the Prison Officers’ Trade Union ISOTITA, claimed that detention conditions violate human rights. He highlighted insufficient fire safety systems and a severe staffing shortage, with one guard for every 100 inmates.
Justice Minister Marios Harsiotis outlined measures to address the issues, including the recent opening of new facilities and plans for additional prison construction. However, both the minister and prison officials stressed the need for alternative sentencing to alleviate overcrowding.
The committee also heard concerns about inadequate medical care, particularly in the women’s wing, and the absence of a permanent psychiatrist and juvenile detention area.
MPs were told of alleged violence between inmates, with one member citing videos showing prisoner abuse by fellow detainees.
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