Human rights in Cyprus

Regarding human rights in the areas under the effective control of the Republic of Cyprus, according to the 2010 US Department of State human rights report, there were reports of police abuse and degrading treatment of persons in custody and asylum seekers, as well as instances of discrimination and violence against members of minority ethnic and national groups.

[9] The US Department of State report about human rights in Cyprus in 2002 said that: "Some of the approximately 300 Turkish Cypriots living in the government-controlled area faced difficulties in obtaining identification cards and other government documents, especially if they were born after 1974.

[2] In 2008, the Supreme Court of the Republic of Cyprus decided that the police had restricted Andreas Constantinou's access to legal aid.

[11] Also, in 2008, the ECHR said that "a question arises as to the conformity of such legislation with the requirements of Article 6 of the Convention [...] there is a priori no reason why it should not be made available in spheres other than criminal law.

[14] Nicos Trimikliniotis and Corina Demetriou noted that: "'Religious' discrimination is not exhausted there, however, as the treatment of Jehovah Witness conscientious objectors refusing to serve in the military illustrate.

The Committee urges the Government to explore the proposal of non-governmental organizations to establish an equal opportunities commission to deal with complaints by women and to serve in a mediatory capacity.

"[2]In 2010, the US Department of State reported that the law provided for freedom of speech and of the press, and the government generally respected these rights in practice.

[21] Kyriakos Pierides reported in 2007 that the "pro-government political and commercial pressures are a constant factor inhibiting the work of the media there".

[27] Prostitution is rife in Cyprus, and the island has been criticized for its role in the sex trade as one of the main routes of human trafficking from Eastern Europe.

[30] In May 2005, the KISA accused the police of violating the law and the human rights of asylum seekers by carrying out illegal arrests, detentions, and deportations.

[32] In September 2020, a Human Rights Watch report alleged that Cyprus was not allowing incoming refugees to claim asylum as required under international law.

Authorities were reported to have instead abandoned hundreds refugees and migrants at sea without fuel and food, and in some cases beaten by police.

[33] In December 2020, a decree was passed by interior minister Nicos Nouris that forebode any asylum seekers from establishing permanent residency in the village of Chloraka.

[34] A series of brawls that took place in the village in January 2022, one of which involved two police officers firing warning shots, has caused concern among local residents over shifting demographics.

[35] A protest attended by members of parliament supported the deportation of the asylum seekers, with community leader Nicos Liasides asserting that "the situation has reached the point of no return".