Cyprus Faces Allegations Over Asylum Seekers

NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) — The United Nations refugee agency has raised serious concerns over the treatment of migrants in Cyprus, alleging that government authorities are forcibly returning dozens of asylum seekers to a U.N.-controlled buffer zone. These individuals, including 18 minors—six of whom are unaccompanied—had crossed from the Turkish Cypriot north into the southern part of the island, where they sought to file asylum applications with the internationally recognized government. Despite the U.N. providing essential supplies such as food rations, tents, and sanitation facilities, the asylum seekers remain vulnerable to harsh environmental conditions, including extreme heat and humidity. The agency reported that many of these individuals were intercepted by Cyprus Police shortly after entering government-controlled areas, with their passports and mobile phones confiscated before being returned to the buffer zone. Cypriot authorities maintain a strict stance against migrant crossings, asserting that the buffer zone should not serve as a conduit for illegal migration. They contest the U.N.'s characterization of these actions as "pushbacks," arguing that the buffer zone lacks formal border status and that migrants arrive from Turkey, which they classify as a safe country. In response to the government's actions, human rights lawyer Nicoletta Charalambidou has initiated legal proceedings on behalf of 46 stranded migrants, urging the Cypriot government to fulfill its obligation to allow these individuals to submit asylum claims in accordance with international and EU law.