It’s been more than a month since an inmate at the Central Prisons was beaten, drugged, and raped by two fellow prisoners. One of them filmed the assault, and the video has circulated widely, a stark reminder that mobile phones remain a fixture inside Cyprus’ prisons.
When the victim asked for protection and transfer to another wing, the guard-sergeant’s reply was: “On Monday.” By the end of the weekend, he had been raped again.
When the authorities finally decided to deal with his case “seriously,” they allegedly forced him to sign a statement saying he had “no complaints.” No briefing on his rights. No forensic examination, despite his claims that he was twice raped after being drugged by fellow inmates.
And one rightly wonders: Is this a correctional facility of an EU member state? An institution that so blatantly violates human rights and shows criminal tolerance and apathy in the face of serious crime?
As Justice Minister, Marios Hartsiotis is the official responsible for Cyprus’ Central Prisons. It was he who, with great fanfare before the House Legal Affairs Committee on 16 October 2024, declared that the mobile-phone jamming system was “moving ahead” and would be installed in the first half of 2025. What became of that pledge? Nothing at all. The system’s installation has become a running farce.
Nor did anything change after the escape of the life-sentenced “hairdresser,” which he orchestrated using his mobile phone inside his cell. This Minister not only failed to assume responsibility, not only refused to resign out of principle, but recently resurfaced on CyBC's Third Programme morning programme to remind us that “mobiles in prison are a chronic gangrene.” Really? Then why has this “gangrene” not yet been cut out?
Minister Hartsiotis,
How many more rapes, escapes, and criminal acts must take place in the Central Prisons before you acknowledge your failure?
The rape of an inmate in his own cell is not an exception, nor an isolated case. It is glaring proof of a system in collapse, where irresponsibility prevails, corruption thrives, and the motto “cover it up and move on” rules the day.
You may claim political will, but you lack the capacity to confront criminality inside the prisons. That much is beyond doubt. And since you will not summon the courage to accept responsibility, resign with dignity, and walk away, do at least the bare minimum: seek the advice of European counterparts who have succeeded, or simply copy them.
For as long as you remain in office, you will be judged not only for what you do, but even more for what you refuse to do, or cannot do.
