Concerns over the treatment of transgender prisoners resurfaced in Cyprus following the case of a 23-year-old Brazilian woman sentenced to six years in prison by the Larnaca Permanent Criminal Court.
Transgender inmate placed in separate unit
According to “Fileleftheros” newspaper, the inmate legally identifies as female. After her conviction for transporting 890 grams of cocaine, she requested placement in the women’s prison. Authorities instead temporarily housed her in a separate area outside the general population, citing safety concerns to prevent targeting or violence against her.
The Court recognised her detention conditions as a mitigating factor in her sentencing. Her lawyer, Evanthia Constantinou, called for permanent institutionalised solutions, stressing that correctional systems in Cyprus and internationally struggle to meet the needs of inmates with heightened vulnerabilities, even when they comply with existing standards.
Isolation and language barriers
Constantinou highlighted that serving her sentence exposes the inmate to intense insecurity and isolation, as she speaks neither Greek nor English. These language barriers significantly hinder communication, socialisation, and participation in educational or rehabilitation programmes.
The Court also considered the inmate’s personal history as a mitigating factor. From the age of 14, she underwent gender-affirming surgeries, eventually leaving her hometown to live in São Paulo with another transgender woman. When her housemate disappeared, she began receiving threats against herself and her family over her housemate’s debts. The threats included personal information and photographs of her relatives, which, according to the Court, pressured her into transporting drugs to settle the debts.
Coerced drug smuggling
The inmate testified that she was forced to swallow cocaine packages and hid part of the drugs in her underwear. Authorities arrested her on 21 October 2025 at Larnaca Airport upon arrival from Qatar, when a customs check revealed 540 grams of cocaine. She later disclosed that she had ingested an additional 35 egg-shaped packages, weighing 350 grams in total, which she expelled later at Larnaca Hospital.
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