Filenews 15 December 2025 - by Michalis Chatzivasilis
At a time when the government is rushing to find immediate solutions to what is shockingly recorded in the report of the Committee against Torture of the Council of Europe (CPT) on the Central Prisons, it seems that the problems are not new and have been recorded for over 15 years.
"F" attempts a second reading of the report through the Associate Professor of Public Law and Human Rights Law at the University of Cyprus, Dr. Costas Paraskevas, who was for 10 years the representative of the Republic of Cyprus in the European Commission for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT). He was also a member of the ad hoc Committee created by the then Minister of Justice and current Attorney General, Giorgos Savvidis, to make recommendations on the problem of overcrowding in prisons.
Dr. Paraskeva emphasizes that what is recorded in the report released last Thursday is not new, except for the finding that in two wings hardcore convicts seem to be in charge, while members of the staff turn a blind eye. As he pointed out, the problems have been recorded since 2000 and hid under the carpet. The professor spoke about changes that need to be made in dealing with offenders and repeats his radical suggestion that for those sentenced by the Courts to less than one year in prison, they should serve alternative sentences instead of ending up in a cell. What is the use, he wonders, of sentencing someone to two or three months in prison?
As he states, the problems of the Prisons are chronic, the findings and remarks of the Committee are repeated in each of its reports. However, for the first time they say that prisoner groups have been created to impose sentences on prisoners and that two wings are under their control. It was an ad hoc visit, extraordinarily, in light of the prevailing conditions. After the visit, says Dr. Paraskevas, if they do not see any improvement, then the process of public statement can be made, i.e. the public announcement that Cyprus does not comply with the recommendations-recommendations of the Committee.
Another point from the professor of the University of Cyprus is that the Commission usually avoids referring to violations of Article 3 of the Convention on Human Rights. It seems that the situation was considered serious here, which is why on two occasions in its report it refers to Article 3 of the ECHR (European Convention on Human Rights) which concerns the prohibition of torture and oppressive behaviour. This is done because of the group acting and creating an unsafe environment in the prison. In the report, he says, a lot is recorded, even about passive smoking by prisoners, inside the cells. What is pointed out, he has been writing for 20 years. Especially in the report on prisoners who do not have a personal toilet and urinate in buckets, they wrote it and now they have written them before, it is nothing new, he notes.
The problem of overcrowding is chronic
"A general observation is the overpopulation that they have been writing about for decades and mentioning recommendations on how the problem can be controlled. This is recorded in the CPT reports in either '99, '03 or '06 and beyond. Nothing happened. Given these facts, the image of our country has been damaged and someone whose extradition is requested by the Republic of Cyprus will be able to invoke the report and the fact that the conditions are not good, so that he will not be extradited. As I said, there is a systematic reference to the situation that exists in the Prisons, not now but for years. The CPT never said in a report that "solve the problems". On the one hand, we have the huge problem with overcrowding and our answer is to increase penalties. This is not consistent with modern philosophy. Is it time today for someone to be sentenced to two or three months in prison?", asked Dr. Paraskeva.
He adds that, when he was in the ad hoc committee on the issue of overcrowding, he had suggested that those sentences under one year should be treated differently. "If a drug dealer goes to prison in the end, a merchant will come out of it. Because he should be sent to prison for two or three months and not serve another kind of sentence," he observes. He notes that "in every prison you go there is a price list, so much for a simple mobile phone, so much for a smart phone and so many drugs. The same applies to the Cypriot Prisons."
To listen to the recommendations
According to the professor, the recommendations mentioned by the CPT should definitely be followed, in order to decongest the Prisons. The problem of overcrowding is not related to whether new Prisons will be built, Dr. Paraskeva observes. "If you build new Prisons, convictions will also increase. There are alternative sentences, the wristband with electronic surveillance for the prisoners as well. Today, it is very easy to decide that someone remains on trial instead of being released on parole. Overcrowding is not a problem of the Prisons. The Prisons must manage it. Many bodies are involved in this and it is the Courts that decide whether someone will end up in prison or not," he says.
Finally, the professor of the University of Cyprus notes that prisoners slept on the floor in the past and now. The problem is that with overcrowding, the activities of prisoners stop or restrict, which is important for them to be busy in something productive.
Three suggestions, no action
In 2020, the then Minister of Justice of the government of Nicos Anastasiades, Giorgos Savvidis, in order to deal with the problem of overcrowding, had set up an ad hoc committee to submit recommendations.
The committee consisted of: Anna Aristotelous, then Director of Prisons – President, Athena Demetriou, Senior Prison Officer, Lemonia Kaoutzani, President of the Parole Committee, Costas Paraskevas, Lawyer – Lecturer at the Law Department of the University of Cyprus, representative of the Republic of Cyprus in the CPT and Aristos Tsiartas, Head of the Human Rights Sector of the Ministry of Justice. The Commission delivered its interim report in November 2021, with three recommendations for immediate alleviation of the problem of overcrowding:
>>The first concerns alternative penalties for specific offenses by foreigners with a migrant identity, so that they are not sent to prison.
>>Second: Extension of the serving of sentences outside prisons through the strengthening of electronic monitoring (wristband) for prisoners.
>>Tuesday: Drug users should be treated differently and not as convicts.
Of these three proposals, an attempt was made to extend detention with electronic monitoring for the undertrials, during the ministry of Emily Giolitis, a bill was prepared, but it met with reactions in Parliament and has since been released. An attempt is now being made to bring the bill back again, but with the dissolution of Parliament at the beginning of 2026, it is not expected that it will be passed.
It is noted that the government is promoting the construction of a new wing with a capacity of 360 people with a horizon of operation in 2028, with the two unions of prison guards urgently asking for new Prisons, however, the construction cost is prohibitive since with rough calculations it skyrocketed to €200 million.
