Country

Cyprus

Detention issue

Time out of cell

FRA research findings

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Legal instruments & key provisions

Legal instrument Key provision
Prison Regulations (Οι περί Φυλακών (Γενικοί) Κανονισμοί του 1997)Open-door regime maintained. Prisoners who have completed one third of their sentence and have shown good conduct may, under conditions, be granted an exit permit of 24 hours without escort. Exit permits with escorts may also be granted subject to permission and under conditions for eight hours or exceptionally for up to 12 hours. Subject to conditions, prisoners may also be admitted to the institution of the open prison or be permitted to work outside the prison.

NATIONAL PREVENTIVE MECHANISM RECOMMENDATIONS

Year Recommendation Report
2015In July 2015, the NPM conducted an on-site investigation into another police detention centre, which confirmed that no measure had been adopted for outdoor exercise, even though recreational space was made available to detainees. Foreign detainees were not permitted to leave their wing at all and could not visit the recreation common space. The NPM recommended immediate adoption of measures to ensure outdoor exercise for all detainees without exception for at least an hour every day, suggesting that the outdoor areas of the detention centre be utilised, with a suitable fencing. Report details
2017In 2017, the NPM carried out a visit at a police detention centre where a detainee had committed suicide in 2016. This particular detention centre has a capacity for two persons in two cells and, according to instructions from the Chief of Police, it should only be used for detaining suspects for a period not exceeding 48 hours, because there is no outdoors exercise space. An inspection of the records revealed that suspects were detained for four till eight days, that sometimes criminal suspects were detained in the same wing as persons awaiting deportation, and that men were detained in the same wing as women. Report details
2019In addition, the detention centre did not provide an outdoor exercise area, thus detainees remained indoors for the entire duration of their detention without any contact with the outside world, natural light and fresh air. The visit also revealed that there were virtually no occupational means within the detention centre. The areas designed for the entertainment and exercise of detainees were almost empty - one table with a few seats, a television and some exercise equipment. Furthermore, the Commissioner suggested that measures should be taken to provide detainees with creative 31 activities and added that the visiting area should be created in such a manner as to ensure privacy. Report details
2019Following inspection of the Aradipou Police Detention Centre 24 July 2019: Therefore, the Commissioner made the following recommendations on the improvement of treatment and living conditions of detainees:… Arranging the entertainment area in order to provide means of entertainment and creative activities, such as television, magazines and books, in case where detainees are detained for an extended period of time. Report details
2019Following NPM’s inspection visit at the Lakatamia Police Detention Centre, 29 August 2019: Τhe detention centre does not provide an outdoor exercise area, contrary to the international standards and the recommendations of the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT) requiring at least one hour of outdoor exercise for each person detained for a period of more than 24 hours… Based on the foregoing, the Commissioner made the following recommendations on the improvement of treatment and living conditions of detainees: Arranging the entertainment area in order to provide means of entertainment and creative activities, such as magazines, books, newspapers and books, and speeding up the necessary works to create an outdoor exercise area/yard time. Report details
2019Following NPM’s inspection visit at the Ayia Napa Police Detention Centre, 26 July 2019: The Detention Centre of Ayia Napa presents deficiencies, in particular deficiencies in the outdoor exercise area and the visiting area, and, for this reason, the place cannot be deemed compatible with the basic principles for the treatment of detainees and the international standards for places of detention. Therefore, the Commissioner made the following recommendations on the improvement of treatment and living conditions of detainees: • Taking measures to create an outdoor exercise area to safeguard the right of detainees to exercise (yard time) at least one hour per day. • Arranging the entertainment area in order to provide means of entertainment and creative activities, such as television, magazines and books, in case where detainees are detained for an extended period of time. • Creating a suitable visiting area. Report details