Government withdraws aid from refugee camp
By Evie Andreou
Some 200 Syrian refugees living in tents in the Kokkinotrimithia reception centre have been left to fend mostly for themselves after the state services stopped providing support on Saturday afternoon.
More than three months after their rescue in rough seas off the coast of Cyprus en route to Italy, the refugees were informed by the interior ministry earlier in the month that the camp was to close down. They were urged to take the necessary action to legalise their status on the island, either by applying for asylum or for a temporary residence permit.
Authorities moved to close down the camp after the temporary three-month residence permit all the refugees were given expired.
According to data released by the interior ministry last week, 36 refugees have so far asked for political asylum and another 144 have applied for temporary residence permits. This means they can work but have no access to state benefits. The remaining 20 or so have either been issued visas for other countries or have left Cyprus by other means.
Since Saturday, the refugees, who were reluctant from the beginning to apply for asylum, have been left without food, security and healthcare after the government services – civil defence, police, social welfare – were withdrawn.
They were also left without any transportation since the daily bus rides to Nicosia were discontinued, including the internet connection.
The government left running water and electricity at the camp until the end of January when all tents are to be packed up and the camp closed completely.
H, a woman in her twenties, who wished to remain anonymous, is staying in the camp with her husband and her two and a half year-old son. She said that she has not applied for asylum because she would not be granted refugee status but rather subsidiary protection. According to the law, this means she would not be able to bring other family members over from Syria. Other refugees said the same.
“The law changed last year and family reunification can only be achieved when asylum seekers are granted refugee status, and it is granted when they are unable to return to their country because they face persecution,” said Emilia Strovolidou, public information officer at the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) representation in Cyprus.
She said that since the war in Syria begun only ten people have been granted refugee status in Cyprus. The majority receive subsidiary protection status. This is granted to people threatened by a general situation of danger but are not personally persecuted.
“Our position is that in the case of Syria, the way the situation is now, applicants must be granted the status of refugee, instead of subsidiary protection,” Strovolidou said.
The interior ministry is expecting that more asylum applications will be filed as the days go by, the ministry’s spokesman Michalakis Christodoulides told the Cyprus Mail.
He added that the refugees were asked to decide what they wanted to do and that they were informed of their rights, but that their wish was to leave Cyprus.
“We are trying to handle a very difficult situation in the most sensitive way possible, always within the framework of the relevant EU legislation” he said.
At the moment, most refugees rely on charity for food, either because they have no money or because they have no transportation to Nicosia, which enabled them to buy foodstuff.
Since Sunday, a Nicosia restaurant owner has been delivering free food to the camp.
Determined to make the best out of their situation, the refugees, have organised themselves into groups to run the camp and protect themselves.
“We take care of everything, the civil defence is gone, even the police are gone, we take our turns in shifts and watch over the camp; we feel we are alone here,” said 25-year-old Mazen.
Mazen is in the camp with his two brothers, one of them a minor. He said he applied for asylum four weeks ago and that he is waiting to be granted refugee status or subsidiary protection.
“Some people who are thinking about applying for asylum are waiting for the outcome of my application, to see if they will proceed,” he said.
He added that procedures are not fast and that adds to people’s discomfort.
The Red Cross which until Saturday had been coordinating aid distribution and arranging psycho-social activities with the help of volunteers is the only organisation left on site. Despite the fact that the distribution centre has been closed down, Red Cross camp co-ordinator Alexandra Verniers said they will continue to observe the refugees’ needs and to respond in case of an emergency.