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Four inmates at Menoyia staged a protest on Sunday calling for their release from detention.
According to Cyprus News Agency (CNA), senior officials were called in at Menoyia Detention Centre on Sunday evening to negotiate with four detainees.
Police said the men started to protest around 6:45pm by throwing garbage and kicking trash cans, while late at night around 10:30pm, one of the detainees started yelling and broke a wooden frame in the corridor.
The men were reportedly asking to be released from custody, arguing they were being 'unlawfully detained'
The men, who were described as being from Cameroon, Egypt, Nigeria, and Turkey, were reportedly asking to be released from custody and arguing they were being “unlawfully detained” according to local reports.
Senior officials, including the chief of immigration police, Larnaca police administrators and negotiators, were called in to speak with the detainees.
Knews was initially unable to clarify details regarding the detention of the protesters. Sources later confirmed with Knews that the four men involved in the incident had filed for asylum and wanted a high ranking official to address their concerns, adding that they had no qualms about the detention officers at the facility.
A police representative said the men were being held for deportation proceedings but did not provide further information. The situation was handled by officials and things got back to normal with police saying the incident was over by 11:30pm.
This story has been updated to include information on asylum applications.
