Published on 7 April 2026
FIFTH SECTION
Application no. 31919/25
P.P.
against Cyprus
lodged on 16 October 2025
communicated on 17 March 2026
SUBJECT MATTER OF THE CASE
The application concerns the conditions of detention of the applicant in Nicosia Central Prisons where he was allegedly raped on two occasions and the State’s alleged failure to protect him from inter-prisoner violence. It further concerns the material conditions of detention of the applicant in Lakatamia Police Detention Centre where he was transferred following his complaints of being raped. While the applicant is still in detention, after a request he made to the authorities, he was relocated to the Peristerona Prison Facilities.
The applicant complains under Article 3 of the Convention about the inadequacy of the conditions of his detention at Nicosia Central Prisons and Lakatamia Police Detention Centre. In particular, as regards Nicosia Central Prison he complains of severe inter-prisoner violence, his rape on two consecutive occasions, the staff’s neglect in their duty to protect and prevent such violence, as well as poor conditions of detention such as overcrowding, lack of in-cell sanitary facilities, and insufficient staffing to ensure safety and response to urgent requests primarily at night. As regards Lakatamia Police Station he claims that the conditions were inhuman and degrading, as per a report from the Cyprus Ombudsman. He additionally claims to have been subjected to further inhuman and degrading treatment due to the authorities’ failure to provide him with adequate and regular psychological support. Lastly, the applicant complains under Article 13 of a lack of an effective remedy for his Article 3 complaints.
QUESTIONS TO THE PARTIES
1. Has the applicant been subjected to inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, in breach of Article 3 of the Convention?
2. Did the respondent State comply with its duty to protect the physical well-being of the applicant in detention as a person in a vulnerable position by virtue of being within the control of the authorities, as required by Article 3 of the Convention (see Premininy v. Russia, no. 44973/04, §§ 83-89, 10 February 2011 and Gjini v. Serbia, no. 1128/16, §§ 72-80, 15 January 2019 with further references)?
3. Did the material conditions of the applicant’s detention, in a) Nicosia Central Prisons, and b) Lakatamia Police Detention Centre amount to inhuman or degrading treatment (see Muršić v. Croatia [GC], no. 7334/13, §§ 96-101, 20 October 2016).
The Government is requested to specify the exact dates of the applicant’s detention in each institution.
4. Did the applicant have an effective domestic remedy for the complaints under Article 3, as required by Article 13 of the Convention?