Foreign Nationals Make Up 50% of Prison Population – Measures Against Overcrowding

Government Spokesperson Konstantinos Letymbiotis addressed the issue of overcrowding in Central Prisons, emphasizing that foreign national prisoners constitute 50% of the total.

In his statements, Mr. Letymbiotis mentioned that the deportation or voluntary return of foreign national prisoners who have not committed serious offenses, such as sexual crimes or drug trafficking, is being considered. Those who return to their countries will be placed on a 'stop list' to prevent their re-entry into the Republic of Cyprus.

The Government Spokesperson also recalled the ongoing violations of the dead zone in Mammari by Turkey, emphasizing that the government has made representations to the United Nations.

Furthermore, he referred to efforts to address chronic problems in prisons, such as the pilot implementation of a mobile phone monitoring system and infrastructure interventions.