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
The Commissioner for Administration, Maria Stylianou-Lottides, has ignited a firestorm within the Asylum Service after a scathing report revealed significant delays in processing international protection applications from Syrian refugees. The report, prompted by a surge of complaints from frustrated applicants, exposes a bureaucratic nightmare with some Syrians waiting two to five years for a decision … Read more
Cyprus is ready to provide humanitarian assistance to migrants stranded in the buffer zone, with the Red Cross already offering aid. The country has obligations under the EU’s Green Line Regulation and is cautious about becoming a new route for illegal immigrants. Fourteen migrants from Afghanistan, Sudan, Cameroon, and Iran are stranded near a university campus in Aglantzia. The UN Peacekeeping Force and UNHCR are working to assist them, as Cyprus has temporarily suspended asylum applications and increased patrols along the buffer zone. Additionally, asylum applications for Syrian nationals have been suspended due to human rights violations in Syria.
Fourteen migrants are stranded in the buffer zone near the University of Cyprus campus in Aglantzia, unable to enter government-controlled areas due to the temporary suspension of asylum applications by the Republic of Cyprus. The group includes women and children from Afghanistan, Sudan, Cameroon, and Iran, with assistance being provided by the UNFICYP and UNHCR. Patrols have been increased along the buffer zone to deter migrant arrivals, resulting in a 95% decrease in arrivals by boat from Syria. Pushbacks in Lebanese waters have contributed to this decrease, but the Mediterranean crossing remains the deadliest route for migrants. The U.N. human rights office has reported gross human rights violations faced by Syrian refugees returning to Syria, including torture, abduction, sexual harassment, and violence. Pushbacks are measures used by states to force refugees and migrants out of their territory, circumventing international protection safeguards.
The Nicosia district court has ordered the state broadcaster CyBC to freeze €450,000 that should be paid to journalist Evdokia Loizou as a result of a lawsuit she filed against the broadcaster.
The Nicosia central prisons in Cyprus are overcrowded, with some accommodation blocks operating at more than 300 percent of their design capacity. Prisoners are forced to sleep on mattresses on the floor and urinate in bottles due to lack of access to toilets at night. The report also highlighted instances of violence against prisoners, including staff slapping prisoners and using wooden sticks to intimidate them. Additionally, there were concerns raised about racist behavior, inter-prisoner violence, and the development of informal prisoner hierarchies within the prison.
People sent to Pournara migrant reception centre in Cyprus were placed in containers without electricity or hot water, crammed next to each other in unhygienic conditions.
Fact: A horrific incident of cat killings and possible torture has been reported in Paphos in the Tombs of the Kings area.
A group of unidentified individuals tortured and killed five cats near the derelict “Land of the Kings” hotel in Paphos. Witnesses described a gruesome scene where the perpetrators beat the defenseless animals, leaving them to perish in pools of blood. Law enforcement responded quickly, and the deceased cats will undergo examinations by veterinary authorities. Outraged citizens are calling for decisive action to ensure justice and prevent similar atrocities.
Adnan Al-Bursh, head of orthopedics at Al Shifa Hospital in Gaza, died in an Israeli prison after more than four months of detention. His death was labeled an “assassination” by Palestinian prisoner associations.