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Wed, 28 Jun 2006
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Republic of Cyprus is behaving truly like a "modern European democracy" (!) in (mis)handling asylum seekers and immigrants. The unfortunate presence of chaunvism and disregard for multi-culturalism from the administration(s) is not helping it either. Below I am pasting one of the latest pieces of news available in English. KISA is an exceptional organization that is worth mention here that is formed to deal with such issues.
From Cyprus Mail, June 28 2006 Asylum seeker dragged away from his wedding By Alexia Saoulli POLICE yesterday launched an investigation into claims a Nigerian political asylum applicant was arrested and beaten by plain clothes officers at Larnaca municipality only minutes before his marriage to a British woman was performed.
The incident was brought to light by immigrant support group, KISA, which issued a press release yesterday, and said it expected the authorities’ immediate and thorough investigation of the couple’s claims.
In response to the allegations, Police Spokesman Demetris Demetriou said: “We will investigate these claims immediately... The police force is definitely opposed to any behaviour of its members that is racist or inhuman.”
According to KISA, on June 19 the 30-year-old Nigerian and his future bride went to Larnaca municipality to get married. While the couple waited for the municipal official to perform the ceremony, two plain clothes officers entered the office, slipped past the bride and groom unobserved, and managed to slip handcuffs on the man’s left wrist.
The officers said the reason for his arrest was because he was an asylum seeker residing in Cyprus illegally. When the man tried to show the pair his residency permit, one of the two men took it, and, without looking at it, put it in his back trouser pocket, KISA claims.
The man then complained the handcuffs were too tight and instead of loosening their grip, the officers allegedly attacked him, throwing him to the ground, where they grabbed him by the throat, and kicked him. All this allegedly took place in the presence of the asylum seeker’s fianc?e.
The couple were then separated. The man was taken to Larnaca’s immigration offices and the woman to Larnaca police station.
The asylum seeker was told to remove his belt and shoe laces, and then given a piece of paper to sign. He refused when he noticed the document contained the words “I, ----------------, am aware of my rights but I do not wish to exercise my rights”.
At this point one of the two arresting officers allegedly filled in the blank space and signed the document using the Nigerian’s name.
KISA said the man was held for three hours and finally released. He was told his arrest and detention had followed a mistaken tip-off from Larnaca immigration’s asylum service that he had been living in Cyprus illegally. The arresting officer also ripped up and threw out the falsely signed document.
In the meantime, the man’s future bride told KISA that while she was at Larnaca police station she was told women such as herself should not marry men of African, Asian or non-EU nationality.
KISA said: “The events described are unacceptable, and the mentioned officers’ behaviour is racist and inhuman and demonstrates the general ethical decline of the police force, which has once again exhibits total disrespect for human rights.”
The police spokesman said he would not let the letter go without investigation.
“What we have here are the couple’s allegations. We need to hear the police’s version of events and ask for a report on the incident.” Demetriou said.
Nevertheless KISA said that the guilty officers’ need to be made an example of so as to avoid similar future incidents. It also demanded a public police apology be made to the couple.
Doros Polycarpou, the group’s president, told the Cyprus Mail the incident had thwarted the couple’s plans to marry because the Nigerian’s bride-to-be worked in England and commuted back and forth, and at the moment she was in the UK.
“They’ve been together for two years and she comes back every couple of months to visit him,” Polycarpou said. “They’re only worried that when she gets back the marriage licence will have expired and they’ll have to go through the whole process again…
They arrested him, beat him and then apologised that they’d made a mistake. He is not an illegal resident, but they didn’t even bother to talk to him to find that out. In the authorities’ rush to stop the marriage, they arrested him without determining who he was. This is unacceptable.”
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