Menoyia inmate in brief suicide attempt

AN Iranian man held at the Menoyia detention centre threatened to kill himself on Wednesday as he tried to exert pressure on authorities to release him.

Police told the Cyprus Mail the incident took place at 4.10pm and was over in a few minutes.

Standing on an upturned dustbin and using torn bed sheets to tie around his neck, he shouted, threatening to kill himself. A photograph of that moment circulating on social media shows him standing barefoot with the sheets tied to an umbrella.

Police said it was only when they approached him when he made the move.

Menoyia is rife with stories of hunger strikes, attempted suicides and unpleasant conditions.

He was taken down and underwent medical tests at the Nicosia general hospital where he was examined by a psychiatrist who did not determine anything wrong, nor did he have any physical injuries. He did not stay overnight and was returned to his cell.

According to police, he has been at Menoyia since September 21 but wants to be released. He does not want to return to Iran.

Prior to his arrival at Menoyia he was at the Nicosia central prison for seven months but was sent to the detention centre after his release.

Asked for a comment on his status and what the course of action would be for the individual, the interior ministry said they would look into the case.

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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.