NICOSIA, Cyprus — Europe’s anti-torture monitor urged authorities in Cyprus on Thursday to act proactively to ensure there’s no ill-treatment of irregular migrants during failed repatriation attempts.
The Council of Europe’s Committee for the Prevention of Torture said in a report the persistence of allegations of ill-treatment when repatriation attempts go awry “should be a stimulus” for Cypriot authorities to take “a proactive approach to the detention and prevention of ill-treatment.”
The committee said during a visit in Nov. 2022, it did observe migrants repatriated to the Democratic Republic of Congo who were treated with “dignity and respect.” But added that it had received allegations of ill-treatment during failed repatriations in the months preceding that visit.
The committee said authorities should keep meticulous records of any incident and medical reports at detention facilities as well as conduct thorough physical examinations on all individuals admitted, prior to their departure.
Such records would help authorities establish the veracity of allegations of ill-treatment and enable them to take those necessary steps to forestall such incidents, the anti-torture monitor said.
Additionally, it called upon Cypriot authorities to inform detained migrants slated for repatriation of their departure date both verbally and in writing to prevent misunderstandings that could lead to tensions during the procedure.
The committee also asked for more details on how detained migrants can have access to free-of-charge legal assistance amid claims that the legal aid scheme is “marred with difficulties.”
Cypriot authorities said they will formally remind detention center officials to conduct thorough medical examinations of detainees, to keep detailed medical files and ensure migrants due for repatriation are informed of their departure promptly.
Cyprus repatriated approximately 5000 migrants between Jan-Oct. 2022. According to the most recent official figures, some 2,714 migrants were repatriated between April and June of this year.
Sourse: abcnews.go.com
