Cyprus to Strengthen Penalties for Arson

The Cypriot authorities are set to impose harsher penalties for arson. This decision by the Council of Ministers comes in response to the devastating forest fire in 2021, which claimed four lives and caused significant damage.

The legislative proposal, put forward by the ministers of agriculture, rural development and environmental protection, internal affairs, justice, and public order, aims to increase prison sentences and fines for various arson-related offenses.

Under the new bills, the maximum penalty for arson causing forest fires will rise from 10 years imprisonment and/or a €50,000 fine to 12 years and/or €100,000. Penalties for arson in rural areas will increase from 5 years and/or €20,000 to 10 years and/or €75,000. For arson within municipal boundaries, penalties will jump from 3 months and/or €860 to 8 years and/or €50,000.

The impetus for this legislative change was the fire in Arakapas in July 2021, which destroyed 55 square kilometers of forest, resulted in four deaths, and caused approximately €15 million in damage.

A subsequent review identified issues in the current legal framework, including fragmented provisions, overlapping offenses, and disproportionate penalties. These issues have been reported to complicate the prosecution of arson cases and undermine the law's preventive effect.

The new legislation aims to resolve these problems by clearly differentiating between offenses that pose a danger and those that have serious consequences.