9 deaths reported in Lefkosa prison over 4 years due to lack of doctors

In the last four years, 9 detainees have lost their lives in Lefkosia Prison. These deaths have once again highlighted the shortage of doctors working at the prison.

According to a report by Kibris Postasi, in the last four years, 9 detainees or convicts have died in the Central Prison of Lefkosia and the old prison. Most of them died before being taken to the hospital or during transfer. These deaths have once again brought to light the deficiencies in healthcare services in the prison, especially the shortage of doctors.

In 2021, İmam Kağzan; in 2022, Osman Demir, Şerife Güler, and Hakan Oğuz; in 2023, Hüsnü Dalliod; in 2024, Yalçın Dal and Mehmet Doğu; and in 2025, Anthony Edward Bolger, Tevfik Kuyucuoğulları, and again Mehmet Doğu lost their lives. These deaths reveal the serious issues inmates and detainees face in accessing their right to healthcare.

Some of the deceased were undergoing treatment in hospitals due to serious health conditions, while others became ill in their cells and died before they could be transported to a hospital.

Most recently, on July 21, 2025, 45-year-old Mehmet Doğu, who had been convicted of murder, became ill in prison. He was being transported to the hospital but died en route.

On the other hand, speaking to Kıbrıs Postası recently, Anthony Edward Bolger’s son, Umut Düzdaban, harshly criticized the prison's healthcare conditions, saying:“The doctors working in the prison are not equipped to provide emergency intervention. There is no medication follow-up whatsoever, and patients are left to die. My father died because of medical negligence in the prison.

Meanwhile, Güven Bengihan, President of KTAMS (a union organized in the prison), stated that the appointed doctor visits the prison only once a month.