In Cyprus, a military officer has confessed to killing seven foreign women and girls, four of whom were Filipino. As authorities in the EU member state are being called to account by protestors, advocates for foreign workers say rampant racism contributed to police bungling.
Rising numbers of migrants are entering Cyprus through the Turkish-administered north of the country, on order to gain access to the Greek-speaking southern part of the island which is an EU member state. But what’s the situation like for migrants on the ground?
Cyprian police say they have stopped several dozen migrants trying to cross from the Turkish-controlled to the Greek part of the island. Earlier this month, more than 100 asylum seekers protested against poor job prospects and exploitation in Cyprus.
On Tuesday April 16, between 150 and 170 asylum seekers on Cyprus took to the streets of the capital Nicosia to demand full access to the labor market. A ministerial decision passed in October 2018 states that asylum seekers should be given access to the labor market one month after filing their asylum application. The reality is very different though, says the Catholic charity Caritas.
A total of 75 migrants were rescued in the waters near Cyprus as well as the Aegean Sea on Monday. Crossing into Europe along the eastern Mediterranean Sea is still a popular route for asylum seekers attempting to get to Europe.
A Somalian mother and her six-year-old daughter were reunited after three years apart and now live together in Cyprus, thanks to efforts by the UN Migration Agency International Organization for Migration (IOM), which made the family reunification possible.
Growing numbers of people seeking asylum in Cyprus are living in poverty and have no proper accommodation. While the government has announced that newly-arrived migrants will be allowed to work, most asylum seekers on the island - even those staying for the long-term - have little prospect of getting a job, and are forced to rely on relatives, friends and strangers for a roof over their heads.
Greece has announced that it will move 2,000 asylum seekers from the island of Lesbos to the mainland by the end of September. The move comes as Europe's senior migration official is visiting Greece and Cyprus, which is set to receive EU help to deal with a growing number of arrivals.
Marine authorities in Cyprus have escorted 36 Syrians ashore, bringing the number of migrants arriving by boat to more than 130 in just three days. The Cypriot interior minister has warned that the rate of arrivals has pushed the small EU member state to its limits.
A new administrative court specialized in international protection has been set up in Cyprus in order to speed up the examination of appeals against asylum claim rejections.
At least 30 people drowned when a boat carrying about 150 migrants sank off the coast of northern Cyprus on Wednesday. Around 20 are still missing.
Nine humanitarian organizations have signed a joint statement regarding the conditions of asylum seekers on the island of Cyprus. The statement says the migrants risk becoming homeless due to the island's inadequate reception system.