Deportation orders signed for migrants involved in fight

More than two dozen remand and deportation orders were issued on Wednesday, following the arrests of migrants in a fight at Pournara reception centre two days ago.

Police said that of the 33 arrested, 28 remand and deportation orders were issued for disturbing public order. The 28 orders involve the Africans, mostly Nigerians, while five Syrians were also arrested for the fight, which broke out on Monday after racist statements were made following a football match at the camp between Africans and Syrians.

Interior minister spokeswoman Margarita Kyriacou said that the 28 people will be taken from Pournara to Menoyia holding and deportation centre.

She added that they will be deported in the coming days.

As far as the Syrians are concerned, Kyriacou said that police will collect more evidence, and take them to court as suspects involved in the fighting.

On Tuesday, Interior Minister Constantinos Ioannou got tough, warning that migrants who had caused the trouble would be deported if they failed to respect the hospitality of Cyprus.

Two people were also injured in the clashes and taken to Nicosia general, where they were treated and released.

Speaking from Spain, he said: “We are strict with whoever disrespects the hospitality given by the Republic of Cyprus.”

After meeting with his Spanish counterpart in Madrid, Ioannou said that as soon as he learned about the incident at Pournara he called for the immediate examination of the individuals’ asylum applications and their deportation, “even if they are allowed asylum, since they were involved in the fighting”.

Migrant non-governmental organisation (NGO) Kisa slammed the interior minister, saying he has no right to act as a judge and order the deportation of the 33 migrants, who need to be given due process.

“The interior minister’s decision that their asylum applications should be examined within the day clearly indicates that the examination will be formal to give a negative decision so that deportation orders can then be issued regardless of whether they have a well-founded fear of persecution or no,” the NGO said.

This decision is a violation of refugee law because one of the basic principles of asylum legislation is the fair process of examining the asylum application, it added.