The United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP) has criticized Cypriot authorities for pushing back asylum seekers to the UN buffer zone, despite repeated objections. Aleem Siddique, UNFICYP spokesperson, told the Cyprus News Agency (CNA) that “dozens of asylum seekers” have been denied access to asylum procedures in recent days. Many were reportedly intercepted in government-controlled areas and transferred to the buffer zone by Cyprus Police.
“We are not border guards,” Siddique stated, emphasizing the urgent need for action. He noted that those trapped within the buffer zone face “appalling humanitarian conditions.” The UN official stressed that effective access to asylum procedures and appropriate reception conditions for asylum seekers are obligations under international refugee law.
Siddique clarified that UNFICYP did not transfer the asylum seekers to areas within the buffer zone where others are stranded, citing an inability to accommodate additional individuals. “We remain committed to working with the Government and other stakeholders to find sustainable solutions that uphold our shared responsibility to protect those fleeing conflict and persecution,” he said.
UNFICYP expressed concern over the Cyprus Police’s continued transfer of asylum seekers to the buffer zone, despite repeated requests to cease this practice. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in June also accused Cypriot authorities of pushing back people to the buffer zone after they entered the Pournara reception centre to apply for asylum.
UNHCR stressed that European legislation applies in all areas of Cyprus where the Government of the Republic of Cyprus can apply its legislation, including the UN buffer zone. Cyprus’s Deputy Minister of Immigration and International Protection, Nicholas Ioannides, has stated that the government does not want the buffer zone turning into an “immigrant corridor” and stressed that Cyprus will not grant entry to the stranded migrants.
Nicosia has been lobbying the European Union to declare parts of Syria as safe for repatriation. However, the U.N. human rights office has stated that based on evidence it has gathered, Syrian refugees who fled the ongoing Syrian civil war are facing gross human rights violations such as torture and abduction on their return to Syria, while women are subject to sexual harassment and violence.