What's New ?  |  About the CPT  |  Members  |  States  |  Visits  |  Documents  |  Database

News Flash

Council of Europe anti-torture Committee visits Cyprus

Strasbourg, 22.05.2008 - A delegation of the Council of Europe's Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) carried out a periodic visit to Cyprus from 12 to 19 May 2008. It was the Committee's fifth visit to Cyprus.

The CPT's delegation examined the treatment of persons detained by the police (including immigration detainees) and the effectiveness of the formal safeguards against ill-treatment which are available to such persons. It also reviewed developments at Nicosia Central Prisons and Athalassa Psychiatric Hospital, and visited the Nea Eleousa Institution for persons with severe mental retardation.

In the course of the visit, the delegation held consultations with Neoklis SYLIKIOTIS, Minister of Interior, Kypros CHRYSOSTOMIDES, Minister of Justice and Public Order, as well as with senior officials from these ministries and the Ministries of Defence, Health, and Labour and Social Insurance, and Foreign Affairs. The delegation also met Petros CLERIDES, Attorney-General, Eliana NICOLAOU, Commissioner for Administration (Ombudsman), Leda KOURSOUMBA, Law Commissioner and Children’s Ombudsman, Yiannakis AGAPIOU, President of the Independent Authority for the Investigation of Police Complaints and Christodoulos MESSIS, Chairman of the Mental Health Supervisory Committee. Discussions were also held with members of civil society active in areas of concern to the CPT.

    The visit was carried out by the following members of the CPT:

    -     Mario FELICE, Head of delegation
    -     Eugenijus GEFENAS
    -     Isolde KIEBER
    -     Vladimir ORTAKOV
    -     Elena SEREDA

They were supported by Caterina BOLOGNESE and Isabelle SERVOZ-GALLUCCI, of the CPT's Secretariat, and assisted by a medical doctor, Alan MITCHELL, former Head of the Scottish Prison Health-Care service (expert).

The delegation visited the following establishments:

Ministry of Justice and Public Order

    -     Nicosia Central Prisons

Police establishments:

    Famagusta Division
    -     Paralimni Police Station

    Larnaca Division
    -     Aradippou Police Station
    -     Holding facilities for immigration detainees at the former Famagusta Police Station
    -     Holding facilities for immigration detainees at Larnaca Airport
    -     Larnaca Central Police Station

    Limassol Division
    -     Limassol Central Police Station
    -     Yermasoyia Police Station

    Nicosia Division
    -     Police Prison (Block 10 of Nicosia Central Prisons)
    -     Lycavitos Police Station
    -     Lakatamia Police Station

    Pafos Division
    -     Pafos Central Police Station
    -     Pegeia Police Station
    -     Stroumbi Police Station

Ministry of Health

    -     Athalassa Psychiatric Hospital

Ministry of Labour and Social Insurance

    -     Nea Eleousa Institution for persons with severe mental retardation

• A "CPT Video-kit" is available for the audiovisual press. For more details please access our page "For the press".