Today's complaints from union officials about conditions at the Central Prisons confirm what Akel has been reporting for some time, the party said in a statement, calling on the government to take immediate steps to address the problems.
According to Akel, reports of drug use and trafficking, sexual assaults, and the sale of alcohol and mobile phones, the latter allegedly used to organise criminal activity, along with incidents of beatings, stabbings and suicides, point to the severity of the situation inside the Central Prisons.
The party said these problems multiplied during the tenure of former Justice Minister Ionas Nicolaou and former Central Prisons director Anna Aristotelous, adding that the situation has remained unchanged under the current government of President Nikos Christodoulides.
Akel blames inaction, understaffing
Akel attributed the problems to inaction on the part of successive prison administrations and the ministers responsible, pointing to understaffing, overcrowding, inadequate training for prison officers, infrastructure shortfalls, and the absence of meaningful reform of the prison system as factors worsening the situation.
The party concluded by calling on the justice minister, working with the Central Prisons administration, to move immediately to address what it described as the serious problems and the uncontrolled situation prevailing inside the prison.
