Cyprus has a new plan to help its crowded prisons. The government wants to send home foreign people who are in prison for small crimes. This plan will help the Central Prison. President Nikos Christodoulides said that these people will not be allowed back into Cyprus.
The Central Prison has 1,120 prisoners. Most of them are foreign nationals. There are 599 foreign prisoners and 521 Cypriot prisoners. Many foreign people are serving sentences. Others are waiting for their trial. This big difference caused the government to act.
President Christodoulides asked for a quick review of the prisoners. The plan is to send away foreign offenders. It might also mean early release for about 175 prisoners. Many of these are foreign nationals.
The main goal is to have fewer prisoners. This will make the prison less crowded. However, the exact rules for deportation are not clear yet. The government hopes this will improve the prison's size and management.
This plan brings up some questions. What about the legal rights of foreign prisoners? What about people from countries that are not safe for them to return to? The government has not said if Cypriot prisoners will get early release too. But officials want to make the prison system work better.