Air-conditioning has been installed in the corrugated iron-roofed building about which a soldier’s complaint this week turned the spotlight back on conditions in Cyprus army camps.
As reported by Phileleftheros, the Defence Ministry on Wednesday also said the soldiers currently housed there will soon be moved to more a more suitable building.
Akel MP Irene Charalambidou had on Tuesday asked for the Ombudsman to intervene to ensure National Guardsmen are housed and trained in bearable conditions after being informed about conditions in the building.
Charalambidou’s letter to Ombudsman Eliza Savvidou had followed a soldier’s complaint that he and other National Guardsmen were being housed in a building with a corrugated metal roof, contributing to already extremely hot conditions inside.
Initial investigations point to the soldiers having just cause for complaint, Phileleftheros reported.
According to Charalambidou, the building in question was previously used as a storeroom and, in her letter; she describes the soldiers’ living conditions as “almost inhumane”.
“It is a space without ventilation or heating, with only two fans mounted on the walls which can only be felt by one resting soldier at a time,” the MP said.
She added conditions were made worse by the structure’s roof being made of corrugated metal which absorbs heat.
“With the heatwave our country experiences every year when the mercury rises to 42°C, you can understand under what inhumane conditions our National Guardsmen live,” Charalambidou said.
She also noted similar conditions in all probability also existed at other army camps, adding: “In this case, one brave soldier stood up for his rights. Most soldiers do not dare to speak out.”
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