Brussels, 19/06/2012 (Agence Europe) - On 19 June, in a new report, Amnesty International (AI) criticises Cyprus, which is to hold the next presidency of the EU Council of Ministers, accusing it of violating international standards on the hosting of refugees and asylum seekers. In its report, the NGO speaks of the practice of systematic detention of migrants which, it deplores, should not be used as a tool for keeping immigration under control. The Cypriot authorities are, moreover, not contemplating any alternative to detention or proving that confinement is really necessary, AI notes. This practice concerns hundreds of men and women who may be held in detention for months, if not years, while they wait for their dossier to be processed, it states.
Conditions of detention are difficult to boot. Most detainees are held in poor conditions without access to necessary medical care and may rarely have a chance to challenge their detention through legal channels, given how difficult it is for them to gain access to legal aid, Amnesty International explains. The AI report was based on a recent visit made to the detention centres of Nicosia and Lakatamia where no improvement is apparent, especially with regard to hygiene conditions.
Amnesty International points out to the Cypriot authorities that, pursuant to the law in force, any decision to hold migrants, asylum seekers or illegal migrants in detention must automatically be assessed by an independent court or any other unbiased entity with regard to the legality, necessity and impartiality of detention. (SP/transl.jl)