NEWS

Inmate commits suicide at Cyprus prison as system revamp gets under way

A 28-year-old Bulgarian man convicted to 12 years for rape was found dead after hanging himself in his cell in the early hours of Tuesday, authorities at Cyprus’s main prison said, adding that an autopsy will be conducted.

Tuesday’s suicide at the Nicosia penitentiary was the fifth in the past few months and came a day after authorities in Cyprus announced plans to reorganize the entire prison system.

Following the suicide, a special police team was deployed to Nicosia’s central jail to begin the process of separating inmates according to the severity of the crimes they have been convicted of, moving, for example, inmates convicted of financial crimes to low-security facilities.

The plan also foresees improvements in the psychiatric evaluation of inmates who display signs of depression or who try to take their own life.

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