THE Immigrant Support Group yesterday accused the government of violating the rights of refugees and asylum seekers, despite conventions and laws governing their protection.
In a statement issued to mark World Refugee Day yesterday, ISAG claimed the government used various methods that were in violation of the United Nations treaty to obstruct people from requesting asylum from Cyprus.
The group said the most blatant violation was the practice of heading off boats carrying migrants before they approached Cyprus’ territorial waters without considering that legitimate asylum seekers might be on board.
The group further charged that despite ratifying the Refugee Treaty when it became independent, only last year, and after considerable pressure, did Cyprus approve special legislation for the protection of refugee rights.
But the island still does not have the proper framework or the necessary regulations that would enable the enforcement of the law, the pressure group said.
The refugee and immigrant laws make no allowance for supplying refugees with special residence permits; rather they are provided with short-term visitors’ permits, which creates practical problems for them.
The support group said asylum seekers who were not recognised as refugees and were often deported by the authorities without assessment of their mental or physical well being when they were sent to countries where they might be in danger.
In other cases, refugees are jailed or illegally held and generally treated like criminals, while their right to work is not recognised or protected on an equal bases with that of Cypriots, the statement said.
The group urged the government and all political parties and organisations to act immediately and secure the rights of asylum seekers who arrive on the island looking for a better and safer future.
The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.
