Cyprus Urged to Assist Stranded Asylum Seekers

In a recent appeal, the head of Europe’s prominent human rights organization has called on the ethnically split government of Cyprus to grant passage to nearly thirty-five asylum seekers who have faced prolonged hardship in tents within a U.N.-administered buffer zone.

Michael O’Flaherty, who serves as the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, released a letter on Wednesday noting that the group, which includes young children, has been enduring “substandard living conditions” despite receiving basic necessities such as food and water. Many are struggling to access essential items, including infant formula and diapers.

These migrants hail from various nations, including Syria, Iran, Sudan, Afghanistan, and Cameroon, and find themselves trapped in a demilitarized zone that divides the Turkish Cypriot north from the Greek Cypriot south, where the recognized government operates. In his correspondence with Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides, O’Flaherty highlighted concerns about the adverse impacts of their extended detention, drawing attention to the mental distress that has already led to suicide attempts by two of the women in the group.

Acknowledging the complexities faced by Cypriot authorities in managing asylum requests from migrants crossing the buffer zone, O’Flaherty emphasized that international law mandates that migrants should have “proper access to asylum processes and suitable reception conditions.” His letter follows a previous call by the U.N. refugee agency for the Cypriot government to facilitate the asylum applications of these individuals.

Recently, the number of migrants attempting to cross from north to south has drastically declined, a change attributed to the implementation of strict security measures, including surveillance cameras and increased police presence along the buffer zone’s 180-kilometer stretch. The U.N. peacekeepers received control of this area after a 1974 Turkish military intervention that was sparked by a coup intending to unify Cyprus with Greece. Cypriot officials have maintained that they will not allow the buffer zone to turn into a conduit for illegal immigration, which they argue would strain the island’s asylum framework.

Earlier in the year, the Cypriot government halted the processing of asylum requests from Syrian nationals after it had previously afforded international protection to 14,000 Syrians over the last ten years. In his response to O’Flaherty, President Christodoulides reiterated that the authorities must act decisively against human trafficking networks operating between Turkey and northern Cyprus.

It is notable that the migrants hold Turkish residency permits and arrived in the northern part of the island through regular flights. The president affirmed that the government would strive to comply with international legal standards, aiming to prevent a normalization of irregular crossings via the buffer zone.

Regarding the stranded group of asylum seekers, Christodoulides mentioned that the government is providing necessary supplies and medical care, asserting that they intend to “resolve this matter in the upcoming weeks,” though specifics were not provided.

Additionally, the president defended the marine police operations in international waters that aim to deter boatloads of migrants. He contended that these patrols are consistent with international regulations and rejected claims of pushbacks, wherein migrant boats are unlawfully returned to their points of departure.

Earlier this month, a ruling by the European Court of Human Rights indicated that Cyprus breached the rights of two Syrian nationals by confining them, along with over twenty others, on a boat for two days before returning them to Lebanon. O’Flaherty has urged President Christodoulides to ensure that all maritime operations by Cypriot authorities comply with the court’s ruling and to conduct thorough investigations into allegations of unlawful returns and mistreatment of migrants, both on land and at sea.