16 Migrants From Turkey Entered Cyprus Through Occupied Territories

Sixteen irregular migrants, originating from Turkey, entered the free areas of Cyprus through the occupied territories. The incident took place in the Peristerona area on Thursday evening.

According to the Deputy Commander of Operations of the Aliens and Immigration Service, Petros Zeniou, the migrants were located around 21:30 on the main road of Peristerona village. Eight of them are minors.

Nine individuals were arrested for assisting in the trafficking of irregular migrants and were detained for eight days by the Nicosia District Court. The 16 migrants were transferred to the Pournara First Reception Center.

During interrogation, the migrants stated that they arrived in the occupied territories from Turkey and then tried to cross into the free areas. All migrants and traffickers are Syrian nationals.

Mr. Zeniou stated that 17,434 irregular migrants arrived in 2022, while in 2024, until September 19, the number reached 5,000, compared to 1,750 in 2023.