Nine Deaths in Four Years at Nicosia Prison Highlight Lack of Medical Care
In the past four years, nine detainees have died at Nicosia Central Prison, once again exposing the critical shortage of medical staff—particularly doctors—within the facility.
Between 2021 and 2025, nine individuals lost their lives either while in custody or during transfer to the hospital from Nicosia Central Prison or its former premises. Most of these deaths occurred before the detainees could be transported to a hospital or during the journey, underscoring the deficiencies in prison healthcare services.
The deceased include İmam Kağzan in 2021; Osman Demir, Şerife Güler, and Hakan Oğuz in 2022; Hüsnü Dalliod in 2023; Yalçın Dal and Mehmet Doğu in 2024; and Anthony Edward Bolger, Tevfik Kuyucuoğulları, and again Mehmet Doğu in 2025.
Some of the individuals had been receiving hospital treatment for serious health issues, while others died in their cells or en route to medical facilities after experiencing health problems.
Most recently, on July 21, 2025, Mehmet Doğu, a 45-year-old inmate convicted of murder, became ill in prison and died during transport to the hospital.
Earlier, Umut Düzdaban, the son of Anthony Edward Bolger, spoke to Kıbrıs Postası, harshly criticizing the prison’s healthcare conditions. “The doctors assigned to the prison are not equipped to perform emergency interventions. There is no medication tracking at all—patients are left to die. My father died due to medical neglect in the prison,” he said.
Güven Bengihan, head of KTAMS—the union representing prison staff—also noted that the prison doctor only visits once a month.
Comments
Attention!
Sending all kinds of financial, legal, criminal, administrative responsibility content arising from illegal, threatening, disturbing, insulting and abusive, humiliating, humiliating, vulgar, obscene, immoral, damaging personal rights or similar content. It belongs to the Member / Members.