https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/prison-guard-assaulted-by-inmate-union-blames-staff-shortages
A prison guard was assaulted by an inmate while on duty on Wednesday, prompting the Isotita union to condemn the attack and accuse the state of failing to provide adequate safety for prison staff....
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/sixteen-prison-guards-suspended-as-cyprus-finally-turns-the-spotlight-inward
For Cypriots who have spent years hearing about mobile phones, drugs and criminal activity inside the Central Prisons, the latest figures may prompt one immediate reaction: it is about time....
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/prison-sick-notes-move-from-audit-report-to-criminal-investigation
The numbers were already difficult to explain. One prison officer was absent for 205 days in 2023 and another 202 days the following year. Across those two years, the officer submitted 111 medical certificates....
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/new-larnaca-police-and-fire-facilities-set-for-construction-in-2027
The government has approved plans for new Police and Fire Service facilities in Larnaca, with construction targeted to begin in 2027....
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/prisoners-released-early-to-ease-overcrowding
A number of prisoners are walking free from Cyprus’ Central Prisons starting Wednesday, as authorities try to ease overcrowding inside the prison system....
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/drugs-fights-and-makeshift-weapons-union-says-cyprus-prisons-are-‘out-of-control
Two fights breaking out at the same time in different wings of Cyprus’ Central Prisons have renewed warnings that conditions inside the country’s main prison are becoming increasingly difficult, and potentially dangerous, to control....
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/prison-guards-union-accuses-justice-minister-of-lying-as-row-explodes-into-public-showdown
A bitter public feud between the Justice Ministry and Cyprus' prison guards has escalated, with the prison guards' union ISOTITA accusing Justice Minister Kostas Fytiris of giving contradictory explanations about why he refused to meet union representatives during a recent visit to the Central Prisons....
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/fire-breaks-out-in-high-security-wing-of-central-prisons
A fire broke out late Sunday night in a high-security wing of Cyprus Central Prisons, with police saying three inmates are believed to have deliberately started the blaze....
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/prison-officers-warn-cyprus-jail-system-is-nearing-collapse-in-plea-to-president
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....
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/four-including-two-businessmen-arrested-in-larnaca-and-nicosia-for-extortion-fraud
Four people have been arrested in Cyprus as police investigate what they describe as a wide-ranging case involving alleged organized crime, extortion, fraud and weapons offenses spanning several years....
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/tensions-rise-at-cyprus-prisons-ahead-of-strike-by-guards-union
Tensions are growing at Cyprus’ Central Prisons ahead of a 24-hour strike planned for Friday by the Isotita union, with prison guards and government officials publicly clashing over working conditions, discipline cases and safety concerns behind bars....
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/cyprus-tops-eu-list-for-prison-overcrowding
The number of people in prisons across the European Union rose again in 2024, continuing a post-pandemic upward trend that has now reversed years of gradual decline....
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/dozens-of-phones-and-drugs-seized-in-central-prisons
Authorities say a large number of banned items have been seized from the Central Prisons over the past four months, including mobile phones and illegal drugs....
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/cyprus-records-195-migrant-deportations-since-march
Authorities have carried out 195 deportations of foreign nationals between March 1 and April 23, 2026, as part of ongoing efforts to tackle illegal residence and crime....
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/violent-prison-attack-leaves-22-year-old-inmate-hospitalized
A 22-year-old prisoner was injured on Friday evening following an attack inside the Central Prisons in Nicosia....
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/cyprus-to-build-new-prison-in-isolated-area-as-calls-for-reform-grow
Cyprus will build a new correctional facility on a remote state-owned site near Mathiatis, Justice Minister Kostas Phytiris announced during a parliamentary Human Rights Committee session. ...
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/lawmakers-debate-deportation-bill-for-foreign-offenders
A proposal to allow courts in Cyprus to deport foreign nationals convicted of serious crimes sparked debate in Parliament on Wednesday, with legal authorities and government agencies voicing concerns about how the measure would work in practice....
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/200-sick-days-a-year-cyprus-prisons-in-chaos-over-staff-leave
A Cyprus prison employee who took more than 200 sick days a year, backed by 111 medical certificates but only six recorded doctor visits, has become the most eye-catching example in a new Audit Office report exposing serious gaps in how staff sick leave is monitored....
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/iran-enters-uncharted-era-as-khamenei-s-death-sets-stage-for-high-stakes-succession
Iran has entered a moment of historic uncertainty following the death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, triggering an urgent transition process and intensifying questions about the country’s political future and regional stability....
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/comment/opinion/dangerous-matters
It is now final. Everyone in this country is clean, incorruptible, and spotless. That is the impression being conveyed to society. And this is exactly where the complete erosion of trust in institutions and the rule of law begins, and not without reason....
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/kenan-ayaz-released-early-from-central-prisons-as-case-heads-to-european-court
Kenan Ayaz has been released from Cyprus’s Central Prisons nearly three years after his detention, following a decision allowing his release after completing two-thirds of his sentence....
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/justice-minister-vows-crackdown-on-crime-bosses-says-cyprus-‘following-the-money
In a wide-ranging interview that read at times like a warning shot to the underworld, Cyprus’ justice minister says authorities know exactly who the country’s crime bosses are, and they’re closing in....
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/the-month-of-scandals-that-shook-cyprus
It started with an assault allegation. It ended with resignations, suspended mayors, police probes, leaked videos, and a political system scrambling to contain the damage....
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/elite-60-officer-strike-force-to-report-directly-to-justice-minister
At a time when organised crime appears to be gaining momentum, particularly in Larnaca and Limassol, the Ministry of Justice and Public Order is moving ahead with the creation of a new elite special unit, a task-force style strike team that will report directly to the Minister of Justice....
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/businessmen-and-alleged-gang-members-arrested-in-larnaca-organized-crime-sweep
Police launched a sweeping, coordinated crackdown on suspected organized crime in Larnaca this week, arresting more than a dozen people following a gunfire incident and violent altercation that unfolded just meters from the city’s police headquarters....
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/cyprus-speeds-up-prison-deportations-in-bid-to-flush-out-illegal-migrants
Cypriot authorities have significantly increased the removal of illegal migrants in recent weeks, as part of a broader effort to regain control over migration flows and ease pressure on the prison system....
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/police-stop-massive-synthetic-drug-haul-the-largest-of-its-kind-in-cyprus
Cyprus police have uncovered the largest synthetic drug haul of its kind ever found on the island, after a coordinated operation that led to the arrest of a 68-year-old man in Larnaca....
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/cyprus-prisons-at-breaking-point-new-facility-and-staff-boost-announced
Cyprus is taking steps to overhaul its aging prison system, with the Justice Minister announcing plans for a new correctional facility outside urban areas and a major expansion of prison staff. ...
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/prison-phone-blocking-system-disrupts-mobile-service-in-surrounding-neighborhood
The system designed to cut off mobile phone use inside the Central Prisons is under renewed scrutiny, after authorities acknowledged that it is also interfering with phone service in nearby residential areas....
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/prison-visit-ends-in-arrest
Authorities uncovered sheets of paper soaked in a banned substance, believed to be drugs, during a routine but intensified security check at Cyprus’ Central Prisons, leading to the arrest of a 40-year-old man from Nicosia....
