Minor held with adult inmates at overcrowded Limassol centre

Local human rightsLimassolpoliceTop News Minor held with adult inmates at overcrowded Limassol centre Limassol District Court Relevant News Remedica widens Clonotril recall: check your batch number 13 August 2026 Minor held with adult inmates at overcrowded Limassol centre 13 August 2026 Cyprus swelters under yellow heat warning, but the mountains are getting a taste of rain 13 August 2026 Ioanna Mantzipa 13 August 2026 FacebookXWhatsAppEmailPrintViber Fifty-eight people were being held in Limassol Police detention centres with an official capacity of just 34, with detainees sleeping on mattresses on the floor and serious shortcomings in hygiene and infrastructure. That is the picture recorded in a new report by the National Preventive Mechanism on the facility, produced after complaints over the detention conditions of a 44-year-old Azerbaijani man accused of espionage, who is held there and represented by lawyer Efstathios Efstathiou. Officers from the National Preventive Mechanism, which operates under the Commissioner for Administration and Protection of Human Rights, carried out a visit on July 21. It was the third such visit to the facility, during which officers inspected all areas and detainee files, held confidential interviews, and spoke with the station’s officer in charge and staff. The visit also assessed how far the relevant authorities had complied with previous recommendations to improve detention conditions and safeguard detainees’ rights. 58 detainees in a space for 34 Overcrowding was among the report’s most significant findings. On the day of the visit, 58 people in total were held at Limassol Police detention centres, against an official capacity of 34. In the wing for criminal, convicted and remand detainees, made up of 24 cells, 50 people were held in total: 13 convicted, 29 remand and eight criminal detainees. “There is clear overcrowding at these detention centres, as a result of which detainees’ living conditions and treatment are being adversely affected,” the report states. “The placement of more than 34 detainees at Limassol Police detention centres must therefore be stopped immediately. In addition, regardless of the number of detainees, all measures must be taken to ensure that every detainee has their own bed to sleep in, rather than only a mattress placed on the floor.” Hygiene problems Significant shortcomings were also recorded in the sanitary facilities. Of the wing’s five toilets and urinals, four were in operation, while one was out of order due to a drainage fault. Another was blocked, causing a strong odour throughout the wing. The report notes that the facilities, due to their age and overcrowding, do not meet hygiene and safety requirements and fail to ensure dignified conditions. Officers were told that replacement of the sanitary facilities with vandal-resistant fittings has been scheduled. The Commissioner is requesting that the work proceed immediately and without further delay. Minor detainee in contact with other detainees The situation in the juvenile wing, made up of two individual cells and corresponding sanitary facilities, also raised concern. At the time of the visit, a 15-year-old of Syrian origin was held there. It was found that the minor had direct contact with other detainees from the criminal, convicted and remand wing, as his cell door was open while other detainees were in the exercise yard. The Commissioner has repeated her recommendation that the detention of minors at this facility be ended and an alternative location found. Convicted and remand detainees held together The report also notes that housing convicted and remand detainees together does not comply with CPT recommendations or the UN Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners, known as the “Nelson Mandela Rules.” According to the Commissioner, the two categories of detainees should be kept separate, as association between them may have negative consequences and limit the expanded rights afforded to remand detainees compared with convicted prisoners. She added that housing remand detainees alongside criminal and convicted detainees can create particularly burdensome psychological conditions, especially for those who may not have been involved in serious criminal offences, with possible effects both during their time in detention and on their broader psychological and emotional state. Shelter replacement still pending Problems were also recorded in the exercise yard, where an opaque plastic roof covering remains in place, limiting access to natural light and contributing to higher temperatures. Although replacement of the shelter had been scheduled, according to the report, the work remains outstanding. The Commissioner is requesting that it be expedited and completed as soon as possible. Shortcomings in the visits area The report also addresses the visits and lawyer-interview area, noting that the necessary changes have not been made to allow visits to take place under suitable conditions. Particular reference is made to visits from detainees’ family members, including minor children, with the Commissioner requesting the immediate reconfiguration of the space. Among the report’s key recommendations are minimising the detention of administrative detainees at police stations, and installing windows in the wing’s cells to ensure natural light and adequate ventilation. It also calls for the shelter replacement in the exercise yard to be expedited and for the visits area to be renovated to provide suitable conditions for both detainees and visitors. The Commissioner further recommends that the Rights of Detainees and the Detention Centre Rules be displayed in every cell, and calls for clear instructions on the full and correct completion of the Detainee Interview Form, along with appropriate staff training for conducting the relevant interviews. The report does, however, record some positive developments, including the replacement of low-intensity lamps and worn mattresses, as well as constructive cooperation between detention centre staff and National Preventive Mechanism officers. Efstathiou: “A reality that does not honour a European state” Asked to comment on the report by Commissioner Maria Stylianou-Lottidi, lawyer Efstathios Efstathiou said the findings did not surprise him, as he had previously reported specific detention conditions. “Today we have an official report that documents a reality that does not honour a European state,” he said. Efstathiou stressed that human rights should not be limited to declarations but applied in practice. “The difficult thing is to apply them when a police cell door closes,” he said. He noted that the report documents a facility with capacity for 34 holding 58 people, detainees sleeping on floor mattresses, unsuitable hygiene conditions and problems the authorities had already been warned about. “The question now is how many more reports a European state needs to do the obvious,” he concluded. 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