Nicosia, Cyprus. A scheduled meeting between the Syrian ambassador to Cyprus and officials at the central prisons ended abruptly on Friday after a dispute over security procedures led the diplomat to leave before talks began.
Planned meeting on concerns about Syrian inmates
According to information surrounding the incident, Syrian ambassador Dr Ammar Awad had arranged to meet deputy prison director Maria Siali to discuss concerns relating to Syrian inmates. The meeting followed complaints reportedly received by the Syrian embassy regarding detention conditions and treatment within the prison system.
Security screening and discovery of a weapon
The ambassador arrived at the prison facilities accompanied by an aide and was escorted through security screening by prison staff before entering the correctional institution. During the initial screening process, security officers discovered that the aide was carrying a service weapon after the metal detectors were activated.
The firearm was returned to their vehicle after prison authorities explained that weapons were not permitted inside the prison complex.
Request for physical search and departure
According to news outlet Reporter, the two men then passed through the security arches for a second time. When the alarm sounded again, prison officers informed them they would need to undergo a physical search in accordance with prison regulations.
Officials reportedly told them no alternative instructions had been issued by prison management ahead of the meeting. The ambassador is understood to have considered the procedure offensive and left the premises with his aide before the scheduled meeting took place.
Letter to justice minister
He later sent a letter to Justice Minister Costas Fitiris informing him of the incident and requesting a separate meeting to discuss the issues he had intended to raise with prison authorities.
What questions do you have about the security procedures applied to visiting diplomats at Cyprus’s central prisons?
