Amnesty condemns 'shameful' Cyprus treatment of migrants

(NICOSIA) - Amnesty International Tuesday condemned what it termed the "shameful" treatment of migrants and asylum-seekers in Cyprus, saying they were being detained in prison-like conditions for extended periods awaiting deportation.

Refugees from the Syrian conflict and women separated from children figure among those detained in the EU member state, it said in a report which the Cyprus government immediately rejected as "one-sided".

"By detaining scores of people for months at a time, Cyprus is displaying a chilling lack of compassion and a complete disregard for its international obligations," said Sherif Elsayed-Ali, Amnesty's head of refugee and migrant rights.

"It is shameful to think that within the EU people who have committed no crime are being held in harsh prison-like conditions for prolonged periods, in some cases for up to 18 months or longer," he said.

Amnesty cited two cases of foreign women detained and forcibly separated from their young children, who were handed over to social services.

The women, longtime residents of Cyprus and married to EU citizens, told Amnesty that the separation had had "devastating effects on their children".

"There can be no excuse for separating a woman who has committed no crime from her children," said Elsayed-Ali.

Cyprus ombudsman Eliza Savvidou has also criticised such detentions, while children's rights commissioner Leda Koursoumba said authorities have a legal obligation to ensure the child is properly cared for while the parent is in custody.

Amnesty said at least one person at the island's main immigration detention centre, Menoyia, had been held for 22 consecutive months -- in violation of an EU maximum of 18 months -- awaiting deportation.

Menoyia is "a prison in all but name. Behind a double metal fence... detainees are forced to live in cramped conditions and only allowed outside the building for 2.5 hours each day," said Elsayed-Ali.

He said: "Cypriot authorities... have displayed a ruthless and arbitrary attitude to locking up migrants.

"The fact that EU laws allow people who have not committed a criminal offence to be effectively imprisoned for up to 18 months is appalling."

During a visit earlier this month, Amnesty said it found nine Syrian refugees among those held at Menoyia, including at least one who had applied for asylum.

"It is incomprehensible that the Cypriot authorities are detaining Syrian nationals in Menoyia when it is Cyprus's official policy not to return Syrians to Syria," said Elsayed-Ali.

"We can only conclude that the detention of Syrian nationals is intended to send a message to other Syrians that they are not welcome in Cyprus."

Interior Minister Socrates Hasikos Tuesday rejected Amnesty's claims as "one-sided and unsubstantiated," saying they "contain inaccuracies and generalisations".

He said in a statement the report was "based almost exclusively on information gathered here from NGO complaints... while government explanations were ignored".

Hasikos added the state "did not accept" it deported asylum seekers as a matter of routine or infringed on refugees' rights.

Hasikos also denied Cyprus was in breach of EU law for detaining people for more than 18 months -- saying the time limit does not apply if the deportation is the consequence of a criminal conviction.