Serious concerns have been raised over the detention conditions of a convicted prisoner who reported being raped while incarcerated. Cyprus’s Ombudswoman and Commissioner for Human Rights, Maria Stylianou Lottides, uncovered multiple violations of his rights during a recent inspection of police holding cells, where he is now being held.

The inmate was transferred from the Central Prisons to a police detention facility shortly after filing his complaint, ostensibly for his protection. However, Lottides, in her role as the National Preventive Mechanism against Torture, described his situation as amounting to “inhuman and degrading treatment and punishment.”

According to Lottides’s findings, the prisoner remains locked in his cell almost continuously, with no real access to outdoor exercise or fresh air. The designated indoor exercise room was found unsuitable due to extreme heat, poor ventilation, and lack of natural light.

Unlike in the prison system, he has no access to television, radio, or personal belongings. Even phone calls with his lawyer must be made on speakerphone through a guard’s mobile, violating his right to confidential communication.

The Ombudswoman further highlighted that he has received only limited psychiatric support, despite being recognized as a potential victim of sexual assault. While authorities aimed to protect him from further harm, they simultaneously deprived him of basic rights previously available in prison, leaving him in conditions resembling solitary confinement.

Lottides urged immediate changes, including:

• Allowing the prisoner to access an external courtyard used by police staff.

• Guaranteeing privacy in communications with his lawyer.

• Providing adequate psychological support if requested.

More broadly, she called for urgent upgrades in police detention facilities. Current shortcomings—poor ventilation, understaffing, and the mixing of convicted and remand prisoners—have already been criticized by the Council of Europe’s Committee for the Prevention of Torture.

Justice Minister Marios Hartsiotis defended the government’s handling of the case, insisting every effort is being made to ensure the inmate’s wellbeing. He admitted that police holding cells were never designed for long-term detention but emphasized they had been formally designated as prison facilities for exceptional cases. He added that the inmate is visited twice weekly by mental health professionals and receives necessary medication.

Nevertheless, the Ombudswoman warned that the case illustrates systemic weaknesses in Cyprus’s detention framework. Protective measures, she said, ended up stripping a vulnerable prisoner of fundamental rights, effectively punishing a potential victim.

This incident adds to longstanding concerns about detention conditions in Cyprus, with human rights watchdogs urging reforms to bring the system in line with European standards.