Mathiatis has not consented to central prison construction — community to decide

The Mukhtar of Mathiatis village, Theodoros Tsatsos, told the Cyprus Mail on Monday, March 23, that the community had not consented to the placement of a new central prison on the outskirts of the settlement and that the final decision would be made by the community.

Earlier, Justice Minister Costas Fitiris informed the human rights committee that a new central prison would be built on the outskirts of Mathiatis due to overcrowding in existing facilities. According to the publication, the proposed site is located towards Analiontas, where a solar power plant was previously planned but cancelled following protests from local villages.

Tsatsos pointed out that Mathiatis is already overburdened — the area hosts two military bases, archaeological sites, churches, and farms. He noted that about 60 percent of the land around the village belongs to Turkish Cypriots and is not available for development. He estimated that the plots allocated for the prison could accommodate about 50–70 farms.

The community's decision will depend on the ministry's response to a list of preconditions. These include measures to protect the environment, archaeological sites, farms, the income of agricultural producers, and hunting grounds. Fitiris previously stated that the location had been presented to the community and there were 'no objections to the construction'.