UNHCR urges Cyprus to halt migrant pushbacks

The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) on Friday called on Cyprus to stop pushbacks, saying it goes against international and EU law.

While it stressed Cyprus should not be left to deal with migration challenges on its own, it also highlighted that authorities should not engage “in conduct of any kind that risks leading to the removal of a person to a place where they would be at risk of persecution or serious human rights violations”

Its statements come following a European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) judgement earlier this week that ruled Cyprus had to pay damages to two Syrian asylum seekers for degrading treatment and pushback.

Named with their initials M.A. and Z.R., the two fled via Lebanon on a boat with around 30 other individuals, but were tricked by Cyprus’ authorities to get onto another boat and forcibly taken back to Lebanon, according to the ECHR decision.

The incident unfolded in 2020.

“In recent months, there have been multiple reports of the interception and subsequent pushback of boats carrying asylum-seekers attempting to reach Cypriot shores, including one in May, carrying 20 persons, and one in August carrying ten persons,” the UNHCR said.

Both were intercepted by Cypriot patrol vessels and returned to Lebanon, where the Lebanese army subsequently returned all passengers back to Syria. Interceptions and pushbacks at sea result in the risks of direct or chain refoulement for affected asylum-seekers, the agency added.

The UNHCR specified it recognises the challenges facing Cyprus regarding migrant arrivals “and stands ready to provide additional support to ensure that the fundamental human rights of asylum seekers and refugees are respected.”

“We are 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. We have long reiterated that Cyprus as well as other states on the EU external border, should not be left alone. Continued EU resources, solidarity and responsibility-sharing are needed to boost Cyprus’ response capacity.”

While the judgement relates to return to Lebanon and conditions for refugees there, in the context of chain refoulement from Lebanon to Syria, the safety of return to Syria as well as on the designation of certain areas in Syria as safe may come into question, the UNHCR specified.

A report in The Guardian on Friday said the ECHR ruling may pave the way for more lawsuits. Currently, a group of migrants stranded in the buffer zone have sued the government for pushbacks.

The government in the meantime has ardently denied carrying out such practices.