‘Disgraceful’ conditions at holding cells

CONDITIONS at detention cells around the island are preposterous, inhumane and downright disgraceful and need to be immediately overhauled, DISY deputy Christos Pourgourides has charged.

The outspoken politician recently happened to visit a police precinct in Limassol, where he was dismayed at the status of the holding cells. Pourgourides has written to the Justice Minister asking that new buildings be constructed as soon as possible.

In his letter to the minister, Pourgourides pointed out: “Conditions for suspects are inhuman. Cells are too small and poorly lit, the linen dusty and dirty, air conditioning non-existent. The toilets are fit only for animals…”

“Need I remind you,” he went on, “that not only is a suspect considered innocent till proven guilty, but also that the vast majority of those detained are never charged. An innocent person therefore should be detained in modern and humane conditions.”

Cyprus has often been slapped on the wrist by the EU Commissioner for Human Rights as well as the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture for its treatment of inmates.

Pourgourides told the Cyprus Mail yesterday that he saw 30 to 35 people being crammed into holding cells of a maximum capacity of 15.

“The problem is that these are the same buildings we’ve had since the 1960s. It’s a disgrace. Even the police are complaining, because this sort of situation affects them too.”

In his letter, the DISY deputy suggested, as a temporary measure, that suspects could be held in unused hospital wards.

“The thing that sticks out the most is the lack of space and hygiene… it was truly atrocious,” remarked Pourgourides.

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.