Prison governor defends treatment of gay inmate

A 17-YEAR-old homosexual prisoner has accused prison guards of mistreating him and his partner.

The two prisoners have complained to the prison’s administrative committee that prison guards constantly monitor their every move.

They maintain that they were a couple before they were imprisoned for different crimes, and one of their complaints is that they are not permitted to share a cell. One of the prisoners claims he is confined to his cell for most of the day, saying he is unfairly treated compared to other prisoners. He also said he could not take part in any prison activities and was not allowed visits from other prisoners or his partner. He consumes his meals in the staff’s office and a prison guard accompanies him when he has a shower.

The Administrative Committee issued a report stating that both homosexual prisoners and minors were treated differently from other inmates to protect them. The Committee suggested immediate plans for a separate wing for minors (there are currently 20 minors in the prison). They have also recognised that the treatment of the 17-year-old by prison guards has been harsh.

Prison warden Panicos Kyriacou yesterday told the Cyprus Mail the prison was doing all it could to protect the inmates.

“Our methods may seem harsh but we must honor them to keep the two homosexual prisoners safe from other prisoners. We cannot allow things to get out of hand,” said Kyriacou.

“We do have a respect for human rights but this here is a correctional institution, a prison, where there are certain boundaries. We must have a level of morality but if we leave each prisoner to their own freedom we may as well become a bordello.”

Kyriacou asked, if anything happened to threaten the prisoners’ safety who would be held responsible? “We will be responsible. What can we do? Should we allow a 17-year-old to live with his friend in the same cell? We will turn into a laughing stock. Should we let the minor go to the shower unaccompanied and risk a brawl? If we are unfair, I don’t know.”
Kyriacou asked for understanding for the prison’s methods. “Some things must be monitored for safety. Our rules must be honoured.”

The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.