The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in an announcement expresses deep concern for the safety and well-being of approximately 31 asylum seekers, including seven children, who are trapped in the buffer zone (BZ) in Cyprus. It is noted that “Five of them entered the Pournara reception centre to apply for asylum after crossing … Read more
A new influx of arrivals will not be allowed by the government in response to mounting criticism over the handling of 27 migrants stranded in the buffer zone. The migrants, including women, children, and unaccompanied minors, are from Afghanistan, Iran, Sudan, and Cameroon. The government’s handling of the matter has been criticized for violating international law. The UNHCR has warned that the asylum seekers are living in tents and exposed to extreme weather without access to decent living conditions.
The Cyprus government has left migrants, including women, children, and unaccompanied minors, stranded in the UN buffer zone for close to a week. Initially, there were 13 migrants, but the number has now more than doubled to 27. The migrants are from Afghanistan, Iran, Sudan, and Cameroon, and have reported themselves as asylum seekers. The government’s denial of entry violates national, EU, and international law, according to UN sources. The migrants have been stuck in tents in the buffer zone, some requiring hospital treatment. The UNHCR is making representations to the government to abide by their obligations towards asylum seekers. The government has not commented on the matter, citing that the migrants are in the buffer zone.
Sihame Denguir enrolled her teenage son and daughter in France’s largest Muslim private school, Averroes, in Lille, which lost government funding due to not complying with secular principles.
Fourteen migrants have arrived in the buffer zone, bringing the total number of people stuck there to 27.
Thirteen migrants, including unaccompanied children, are now stranded in the buffer zone between Aglantzia and Geri, in addition to the 14 who have been living in tents for the past two weeks. The total number of migrants is now 27. Despite expressing their desire to apply for asylum, the migrants remain trapped in the buffer zone. The UNHCR is providing food, water, hygiene products, and clothing, but the asylum seekers are living in tents and exposed to extreme weather conditions. The Republic of Cyprus is working with relevant ministries and the UN peacekeeping force to address the needs of the migrants.
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs settled a lawsuit brought against him by his then girlfriend Cassandra Ventura, accusing him of sexual and physical violence over more than a decade.
Turkish Cypriot conscientious objector Halil Karapaşaoğlu was sentenced to three days in prison for refusing to pay a fine related to his mobilisation call. This is his second trial in the occupied north for defying the call-up, with his initial declaration of conscientious objection in 2013 leading to military court trials until 2019. Despite receiving a fine in 2019, his refusal to pay resulted in a 20-day prison sentence, later reduced to three nights and four days by a higher court. Critics, such as Murat Kanatlı, have condemned the ruling, pointing out the officials’ hypocrisy in advocating for human rights in European forums but failing to implement relevant ECHR decisions domestically. Karapaşaoğlu’s lawyer, Öncel Pili, has pledged to continue fighting for conscientious objector rights despite the imprisonment.
Members of the public have been waiting for up to three years to hear back from the social welfare department, which takes an excessively long time to address appeals and requests, according to Ombudswoman Maria Stylianou Lottides.
The termination of the contract for the development of the Larnaca port and marina was due to a loss of trust and breakdown in communication between the contractor Kition Ocean Holdings and the government. The government sought legal advice and decided to terminate the contract after the company refused to pay the guarantee amount. The Kition CEO blamed the government for the project’s failure, stating that changes were needed to make it viable. The government acknowledges mistakes were made and plans for the project were over-ambitious, making it unviable. If a new company takes on the project, plans need to be modified and scaled down.