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Prison officers have appealed directly to President Nikos Christodoulides, warning that Cyprus' prison system is nearing breaking point and claiming staff safety is being placed at unacceptable risk because of overcrowding and severe staff shortages.
In a letter also sent to the Minister of Justice and Public Order, the prison officers' branch of the ISOTITA trade union says repeated attempts to secure talks with the ministry have gone unanswered, leaving them with no option but to seek the President's personal intervention.
The union describes conditions inside the Central Prisons as increasingly dangerous, saying officers working overnight can be left locked inside prison wings with as many as 120 inmates while only one or two staff members are on duty.
According to the officers, this practice leaves employees exposed to serious danger and should have ended long ago. They argue that the combination of overcrowding and insufficient staffing has created conditions that can no longer be safely managed.
The union points to findings by the Council of Europe's European Committee for the Prevention of Torture, which reported serious overcrowding and linked high levels of violence to a chronic shortage of frontline prison staff. It also refers to a 2025 ruling by the Permanent Criminal Court in Nicosia, saying the judgment confirmed long-standing claims about the circulation of illegal drugs inside prison wings.
The letter also criticises the current management of the Prison Department, accusing it of relying on an outdated military-style approach instead of modern correctional practices centred on rehabilitation. Union representatives argue that the existing leadership culture creates fear among staff, discourages open discussion of problems and prevents officers from concentrating on their primary rehabilitation role.
The dispute has also taken an international dimension. The union says it has already filed complaints with the International Labour Organization and the European Committee of Social Rights after disciplinary proceedings were launched against its spokesperson following public comments about prison conditions. The officers argue the case affects fundamental trade union rights.
As part of its appeal, the union has outlined a package of reforms that it says is essential if the prison system is to avoid further deterioration.
Among its demands are an immediate end to the practice of locking officers inside prison wings during night shifts, urgent action to reduce overcrowding through alternatives to imprisonment, the recruitment of additional prison staff, continuous specialist training, and a complete overhaul of the Prison Department's organisational structure.
The union is also calling for the appointment of a permanent director with expertise in correctional policy, four additional senior managers with specialist qualifications, and the creation of an independent unit to handle investigations and enforcement duties separately from frontline prison officers.
It is also seeking the introduction of voluntary retirement after 25 years of service, arguing that the profession places exceptional physical and psychological demands on employees.
Concluding its appeal, the union warns that prison staff have reached their limits and says immediate political action is needed before a serious incident results in loss of life or irreversible consequences.
