Europe's human rights watchdog urges Cyprus to let migrants stuck in UN buffer zone seek asylum

NICOSIA, Cyprus -- A elder charismatic pinch Europe’s apical quality authorities watchdog has urged nan authorities of ethnically divided Cyprus to let transition to astir 3 twelve asylum seekers retired of a U.N.-controlled buffer area wherever they person been stranded successful tents for months.

Michael O’Flaherty, nan Council of Europe's Commissioner for Human Rights, said successful a missive released connected Wednesday that contempt receiving food, h2o and different aid, immoderate 35 people, including young children, proceed to look “poor surviving conditions” that make it difficult for them to get items specified arsenic look beverage and diapers for babies.

The migrants, who travel from countries including Syria, Iran, Sudan, Afghanistan and Cameroon are stuck successful a buffer area that separates nan breakaway Turkish Cypriot northbound of nan Eastern Mediterranean land federation and nan Greek Cypriot southbound wherever nan internationally recognized authorities is seated.

In a missive addressed to Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides, O'Flaherty said nan migrants’ prolonged enactment successful specified conditions is apt to impact their intelligence and beingness health, arsenic illustrated by nan termination attempts of 2 women.

O’Flaherty said he acknowledged nan “seriousness and complexity” of Cypriot authorities’ efforts to stem nan travel of migrants crossing nan buffer area from northbound to southbound to activity asylum.

But he said this doesn’t mean Cypriot authorities tin disregard their obligations nether world rule to connection migrants “effective entree to asylum procedures and to capable reception conditions.”

O'Flaherty's missive comes a mates of months aft nan U.N. exile agency had besides urged nan Cypriot authorities to fto nan migrants activity asylum.

Migrant crossings from nan northbound to nan southbound person dropped precipitously successful caller months aft Cypriot authorities enacted a bid of stringent measures including nan installation of cameras and typical constabulary patrols on sections of nan 180-kilometer (120 mile) agelong buffer zone.

The Cyprus authorities ceded power of nan buffer area to U.N. peacekeepers aft conflict lines stabilized successful nan aftermath of a 1974 Turkish penetration that triggered by a coup aimed astatine uniting nan land pinch Greece. Cypriot authorities person consistently said they would not licence nan buffer area to go a gateway for an forbidden migration influx that put “severe strain” connected nan island’s asylum system.

Earlier this year, Cyprus suspended nan processing of asylum applications from Syrian nationals aft granting world protection to 14,000 Syrians successful nan past decade.

Christodoulides underscored nan constituent to O’Flaherty successful a reply letter, saying that Cypriot authorities are obligated to do their utmost to ace down connected people-smuggling networks moving group from mainland Turkey to bluish Cyprus and past to nan south.

It's understood that each nan migrants person Turkish residency permits and arrived successful nan northbound aboard scheduled flights.

The Cypriot president said authorities will “make each effort” successful accordance pinch world rule “to forestall nan normalization of irregular crossings” done nan buffer zone.

Regarding nan stranded asylum seekers, Christodoulides said nan authorities is offering supplies and healthcare and assured O’Flaherty that “we will resoluteness this matter wrong nan adjacent fewer weeks,” without elaborating.

The Cypriot president besides defended patrols that marine constabulary vessels behaviour successful world waters to thwart vessel loads of migrants reaching nan land by sea. He said those patrols afloat comply pinch world rule and rejected allegations that marine constabulary are engaging successful seaborne “pushbacks” of migrant boats.

Earlier this month, nan European Court of Human Rights ruled that Cyprus violated nan correct of 2 Syrian nationals to activity asylum successful nan land federation aft keeping them, and much than 2 twelve different people, aboard a vessel astatine oversea for 2 days earlier sending them backmost to Lebanon.

O’Flaherty asked Christodoulides to guarantee that each Cypriot seaborne operations abide by nan obligations flowing from nan tribunal ruling and to transportation retired independent probes into allegations of “unlawful summary returns and of ill-treatment” of migrants connected onshore and astatine sea.