Cyprus to reform colonial-era law

The Commissioner for Legislation of the Republic of Cyprus, Sophia Cleopa Hadjikyriacou, announced that the new bill, which will completely replace the outdated colonial law on the investigation of deaths, is at the final stage of preparation. The current framework was adopted in 1936 and has hardly changed since then. The main catalyst for this large-scale legal reform was the widely discussed case of the body of a three-month-old infant, which has remained unburied in a hospital morgue for almost two years.

Reasons why the infant’s body has remained in the morgue for two years:
A three-month-old child died about two years ago, and all this time the body has been kept in a refrigerated chamber. The situation is due to the following factors:
— No relatives came forward. The Commissioner explained that the investigator had long ago issued an official order for burial. The problem is not bureaucratic or judicial delays, but the fact that no one has come for the child’s body.
— Trial of the parents. The trial of the deceased infant’s parents is currently ongoing. Cyprus’ forensic service mistakenly linked the release of the body to the delivery of the final verdict. Sophia Hadjikyriacou called this a misunderstanding, stressing that burial is legally possible even while a criminal case is still ongoing.

Scale of the problem with unclaimed bodies:
The case of the infant exposed a systemic crisis in state medical institutions. Hospital morgues have accumulated many other bodies. They fall into two categories:
— The identity of the deceased has not been established.
— The identity is known, but relatives have shown no interest in arranging the funeral.
Such bodies can remain in morgues for years, as state bodies still lacked clear legal grounds for compulsory burial. In cases where the identity is confirmed and permits are issued, the Health Insurance Organization (ΟΚΥΠΥ) covers the costs and carries out the funeral through local metropolises, but the procedure requires strict legislative regulation.

Key changes under the new law:
The upcoming reform is intended to modernize an archaic system that still contains terminology and official posts from the colonial era, including references to institutions that no longer exist today. The bill provides for:
— A complete digital transformation of all related procedures.
— The introduction of strict international protocols for forensic experts.
— A clear division of powers and areas of responsibility between the police, the Forensic Service, and death investigators.

Tightening the rules for autopsies:
The new law will radically change the rules for ordering autopsies at the request of relatives. Under the current old law, relatives have the right to insist on an autopsy even in the case of an obvious natural death. As an example, the Commissioner cited a case in which relatives demanded an autopsy for a 98-year-old person who died of old age in order to check for hypothetical hereditary diseases. The new bill will introduce strict, well-founded criteria for such procedures, which will make it possible to reduce the burden on forensic services and speed up the issuance of documents.