The Council of Europe’s Committee for the Prevention of Torture has warned of “serious problems” at Cyprus Central Prison in Nicosia and expressed “serious concern” about the “high level of violence between prisoners” at the facility.

The report, written following a visit to the island in April, speaks of “the inability of prison staff to ensure the safety of persons in custody,” and states that this is partly due to “a chronic shortage of first-line staff.”

This shortage, according to the committee, “has allowed stronger groups of prisoners to dominate and use informal punishments, undermining security and order.”

“The Cypriot authorities must urgently recruit and train more staff to regain control of prisons, as well as review the institution’s policy on violence prevention,” the report says.

In addition, the report indicates that the living conditions of prisoners in the prison “remain very poor” and “suffer from severe overcrowding,” and states that “up to four prisoners” are housed in cells with an area of less than six square meters.

In these cells, according to the committee, “two people are forced to sleep on mattresses on the floor, although there are barely enough such cells for one person.”

The report also says that prisoners’ access to toilets in the prison is “insufficient” and that more than half of the prison blocks “lack sanitary facilities in their cells.”

“Due to the lack of staff who could release prisoners from their cells to use shared toilets at night, prisoners had to urinate in bottles and sometimes defecate in bags. The Committee considers this practice humiliating,” the report says.

The report also talks about the situation faced by children and young people held in prisons in Cyprus, and notes that the conditions in which they are held are “unsuitable and unhygienic.”

“Some minors slept on mattresses on the floor in cells covered with mold and graffiti and had no access to education or targeted activities. Many children complained of cold, hunger, and boredom,” the report says.

The report also states that the central prison, where young offenders are held, is “not suitable for holding children,” and therefore calls for “their speedy transfer to an institution suitable for minors.”

In addition, the report says that for all prisoners, “medical care in Nicosia Central Prison remains insufficient” and emphasizes the need to strengthen medical secrecy.

To do this, according to the committee, “medicines should be distributed by medical personnel, not security personnel.”

The committee also “urges the authorities to develop a comprehensive suicide prevention policy and strengthen measures to combat substance abuse.”

In addition to the central prison, the report also highlights the problems faced in other detention facilities on the island, and points out that people “continue to be held in police custody for extended periods, in many cases for months, in conditions that are usually suitable for only a few days.”

“Most of the detainees stated that the police treated them correctly; however, several allegations of physical ill-treatment and verbal abuse were received. The authorities should strengthen their zero tolerance policy towards all forms of ill—treatment,” the report says.

The report also mentions the Voigpaga migrant reception center, which notes that the situation has “improved significantly” since the committee’s visit in 2023.

“However, asylum seekers can stay in the center for several months while waiting for test results, especially age assessments. The problem is particularly acute for unaccompanied boys who are kept in overcrowded and less suitable facilities,” the report says.

The report also states that “detention should only be used as a last resort” for asylum seekers.

The report also criticizes the “limited access to psychiatric care” in the Hague, as well as the “lack of structured adult activities” and the “almost complete lack of educational or recreational opportunities for children.”

In addition, the report says vulnerability assessments for individuals held in the hague “remain inconsistent,” and that even for those deemed vulnerable, protection was “minimal.”

In this regard, the report states that the Cypriot authorities should “ensure that all detained asylum seekers receive an individual detention order indicating the reasons for their detention, its legal guarantees and opportunities for appeal,” and calls for “immediate steps to end the detention of children, including unaccompanied minors.” and separated.”

The report was published just three days after [a 35-year-old man was killed] (https://cyprus-mail.com/2025/12/08/man-killed-inside-central-prison-one-arrested ) in the central prison, and another inmate was arrested on Monday on suspicion of premeditated murder.

The Phileleftheros newspaper reported that the deceased was an Egyptian citizen, and the 30-year-old arrested on Monday entered the 35-year-old Egyptian’s cell and left it after 10 seconds.

Police investigator Yennadios Ioannou told the court on Monday that the suspect confessed to quarreling with the victim and punching her.

On Wednesday, the newspaper reported that Justice Minister Kostas Fitiris will visit the central prison on Thursday in light of the publication of the report, “to get general information about the current situation, conditions of detention” and other issues, [starting execution обязанностей](https://cyprus-mail.com/2025/12/08/christodoulides-tells-new-ministers-to-work-tirelessly-at-swearing-in-ceremony ) on Monday.

https://russiancyprus.news/news/society/council-of-europe-warns-of-serious-problems-at-cyprus-prison/