Another 14 migrants have arrived in the buffer zone, raising the number of people stuck there to 27, the head of the UNHCR office in Cyprus, Katja Johanna Saha, said on Sunday. On Friday, it had been reported that 13 individuals, among them unaccompanied minors, had been living in the UN buffer zone.
Saha said that the number was now at 27. She added that the migrants had approached the Cyprus police, requesting asylum, but were denied.
UNHCR’s Stance on Asylum Procedures
Saha emphasized that UNHCR wishes to recall that, “as provided for in national and EU asylum legislation, asylum seekers on Cypriot territory must be referred immediately to national asylum procedures where they can register and lodge their application, as well as to designated reception facilities.”
She also noted that while food, water, and personal and general hygiene and clothing items are provided through UNHCR and in cooperation with UNHCR, asylum seekers are living in tents and exposed to extreme weather conditions without access to decent living conditions.
“The refusal to refer asylum seekers stranded in the buffer zone to national asylum procedures risks a chain of refoulement to their countries of origin if they return to the occupied northern part of Cyprus due to the absence of an asylum system there, which often leads to the criminalisation of asylum seekers for irregular crossing of the UN buffer zone and the issuance of deportation orders against them,” she said.
Saha added that access to asylum procedures and decent living conditions should always be guaranteed in accordance with the principle of non-refoulement and the right to apply for asylum in accordance with international, national and EU law.
Government Response and Coordination
Four relevant ministries of the Republic of Cyprus, namely the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Interior, Defence, and Justice, co-manage the issue of migrants who have crossed from the north into the buffer zone and are still there.
A competent government source told CNA that the position of the Republic of Cyprus on this issue is determined by “the Green Line Regulation, the status of the buffer zone and our international obligations for refugees.”
There is also cooperation with the peacekeeping force in Cyprus for the needs of these people. According to the same sources, meetings have been held on the issue and more will be held.
