Filenews 12 February 2026 - by Michalis Chatzivasilis
The number of prisoners in the Central Prisons skyrocketed, as a result of which the problem of overcrowding worsened, malfunctioning in the wards and the Police were loaded with prisoners.
Yesterday, the prisoner count showed 1,164, a number that is huge compared to the data of the prison which can barely accommodate 650-720 people. The plans of the Minister of Justice, Kostas Fytiris, are running, however the numbers are increasing despite efforts to decongest with the release of about 10 prisoners a week with a presidential pardon. Recently, a list of 30 people, according to information from "F" from the Legal Service, was returned for re-evaluation, while new actions are being taken to send another list.
Of the 1,164 inmates, about 50 are in police cells due to lack of space in prisons. This creates additional problems for the Police, who are often unable to make arrests or suspend them due to a lack of detention facilities. The goal of the Ministry of Justice is to release with grace about 130 prisoners who will normally be released by the end of 2026. Most of them are foreigners and are being held for immigration offenses, which normally should not have been convicted. The recent decision to deport instead of imprison foreigners who are here illegally or involved in non-serious crimes have begun to pay off, however, the numbers of the prison population remain at high levels.
The creation of a new prison with a capacity of 1,200 people has been decided as a last resort to the chronic problem of overcrowding, but at the current rate and if other solutions are not found, such as the detention of prisoners with an electronic wristband, this number in five years will not be enough to accommodate those who will be detained then. Overcrowding creates additional problems since the coexistence of a large number of prisoners in a wing brings both friction and human rights violations.
In Cypriot prisons, about 55% of prisoners are foreigners and 1/3 of prisoners are serving sentences in relation to drug possession and trafficking. A large number of people are incarcerated for sexual offences (rape, sexual assault or abuse and child pornography). In total, around 170 people are detained for sexual crimes. The number of prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment is also significant. Specifically, 47 people are detained for premeditated murder and another 36 for homicide cases, a total of 83 people are in prison because they took one or more lives. Also, according to the data, 35 persons are incarcerated in relation to serious traffic offenses, another 35 for smuggling illegal immigrants, 17 fellow citizens have been imprisoned for debts. A large number of people are deprived of their liberty because they have been convicted of offenses against property, i.e. 220 persons, while another 118 people are in prison for cases of assault and violence.
Of the 1,164 detainees, about 80 are women in a separate ward, most of whom are young women who were used as drug dealers.
As "F" recently wrote, the new Minister of Justice has overturned the plans for the construction of a new prison with a capacity of 360 people near the existing complex and at the same time, cancelled the plans for the construction of juvenile detention facilities in Menogia. As Mr. Fytiris had mentioned, because the juvenile prisoners are few, it was preferred to use the space in Menogia for the transport of convicts (about 220) and the minors to be held in a smaller space outside the closed prison but around the Central Prison complex.
New prisons at an unknown cost
The moves for the creation of completely new prisons outside the urban fabric are proceeding after the green light of the President of the Republic, since it was judged that only with this solution will the cumulative problems faced by our penitentiary be solved. The site has been found and actions are being taken to proceed with the procedures. It remains to be decided the method of building the prisons and the total cost. Previous studies shot up the cost to €150-170 million. However, Mr. Fytiris has stated that the construction of the new penitentiary will be done at the least cost, but all the required specifications of the Committee Against Torture of the Council of Europe (CPT) will be met.
