CYPRUS | Annual Report 2019 and Report on the actions of the NPM 2018-2019

The Commissioner for Administration and the Protection of Human Rights, Mrs Maria Stylianou-Lottidis, submitted last week to the President of the Republic of Cyprus, Mr. Nikos Anastasiades, the Annual Reports of her Office for the years 2018 and 2019, as well as the Report on the actions of the National Preventive Mechanism for the years 2018 and 2019, under her mandated as National Mechanism for the Prevention of Torture and other Cruel, Ιnhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (NPM).

The Annual Reports submitted to the President of the Republic include the multifarious work done by the Office of the Commissioner for Administration and the Protection of Human Rights in the years 2018 and 2019 and describe the range of activities, based on all of its jurisdiction.

One of the most important events that marked the action of the Office, which is reflected in a separate chapter in the 2019 Annual Report, was the investigation of the circumstances that led to the death of the underage St. K. and the preparation of the relevant report. Its findings, it is expected that in addition to the punishment of those responsible, will also trigger a substantial change in the functioning and mentality of the services involved.

2019 was also the year that came into operation the monitoring for the forced returns of informal migrants entrusted to the Commissioner from 2012, in order to identify and record possible mistreatment and violation of human rights of returnees.

At the same time, many actions of National Preventive Mechanism took place, during the period 2018 - 2019, which spanned visits to police detention centers, Central Prisons, elderly housing and psychiatric clinics, as well as information, training and awareness actions.

It is noted that the actions of the National Preventive Mechanism (NPM) for the years 2018 – 2019 are also included in a separate edition, which has been translated and transmitted already to the Sub-Committee of the United Nations for the Prevention of Torture (SPT), which expressed its satisfaction with very positive comments.

Source: The Commissioner for Administration and the Protection of Human Rights