Greek Cypriot administration violated Syrian refugees’ rights, rules European court

By Ahmet Gencturk

ATHENS (AA) – Greek Cypriot administration violated Syrian refugees’ rights, the European Court of Human Rights ruled on Tuesday.

Announcing its ruling regarding the case brought by two refugees with Syrian nationality, the court said, found that the Greek Cypriot authorities had essentially returned them Lebanon without processing their asylum claims and without all the steps required under the Refugee Law.

“It was evident from the Government’s submissions that the national authorities had not conducted any assessment of the risk of lack of access to an effective asylum process in Lebanon or the living conditions of asylum-seekers there and had not assessed the risk of refoulement - the forcible return of refugees to a country where they might be subjected to persecution. Nor had they examined the specific situation of the individuals concerned,” it added.

Consequently, the court determined that the administration violated the article 3, on prohibition of inhuman or degrading treatment; article 4 of protocol 4, on the prohibition of collective expulsion of aliens; violation of article 13, on the right to an effective remedy, of the European Convention on Human Rights as well as article 3 of the European Convention.