Ombudswoman calls for improvements at Kato Polemidia community home

Cyprus Commissioner for Administration and Human Rights, Maria Stylianou-Lottidi, has issued a report following an unannounced inspection of a community care home for people with disabilities in Kato Polemidia. The inspection, which took place on December 4, 2025, was initiated in response to complaints regarding the living conditions at the facility. The Commissioner conducted the visit in her capacity as the National Preventive Mechanism against Torture and as the independent monitoring body for the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. The report emphasizes the urgent need for measures to ensure that residents continue to live in an environment fully compatible with the principles of independent living and deinstitutionalization. The visit was conducted without prior notice to the facility management to ensure an objective assessment. The Ombudsman's office holds the mandate to regularly monitor sites where individuals may be deprived of their liberty. The recommendations seek to ensure that current living standards meet international human rights obligations for individuals with disabilities.