INTERIOR Minister Permanent Secretary Lazaros Savvides said the ministry was aware of the problems regarding police holding cells from reports submitted by the Justice Ministry and outside organisations such as the Council of Europe.
“But the competent authority to run and manage the police holding cells lies with the Justice Ministry,” he said.
Aliens and Immigration police refused to comment on the accusations.
Nevertheless they are not the police responsible for the holding cells. Apparently the jurisdiction of holding cells lies under the authority of that district’s police chief.
Therefore all Nicosia holding cells are under the Nicosia police chief’s authority, all Limassol holding cells come under Limassol’s police chief and so on.
Nevertheless a police officer, who wished to remain unnamed, refuted the accusations.
“As if police would do such a thing. It is the immigrants who are above the law, not police. We can’t even lay a finger on them. Police are too scared to even touch anyone,” he said.
As for drug induced deportations in the middle of the night he said: “That’s simply ridiculous. What are we doctors? There is no way any police officer was involved in something like that.”
Police chief Iacovos Papacostas categorically denied every single accusation made by the immigrants.
“Frequent inspections are carried out by different committees including European Human Rights watchdog, the UNHCR, local NGO’s like KISA (an immigrant support group) and we have never heard such a complaint of drug-induced deportations,” he said.
Papacostas also denied accusations that some immigrants had not seen the light of day for a year.
“There are strict regulations that they go out into the yard every day to exercise and get fresh air and then go back to their cells. In Limassol and in Block 10 at the Central Prisons they are not even kept in cells. They are out in the yard, in common areas and can watch TV and read their newspapers. They are not locked up like animals,” he said.
Papacostas said what was true was that immigrants were often held far too long.
“We have some immigrants in detention for over two years. But this is not down to us. This is the Interior Ministry and the migration department. We have told them to release them because it’s a shame to have these people held for so long as illegal immirants,” he said.
“But as far as all the other complaints go, I reject them categorically,” he concluded.
The Justice Minister was unavailable for comment.
