Cyprus Begins Deportations of Syrian Criminals

Cyprus has begun deporting Syrians deemed a threat to public order and national security. According to reports, the Deputy Ministry of Migration & International Protection, in cooperation with the Ministry of Justice and Public Order and the Cyprus Police, has proceeded with the deportation of Syrian nationals considered a threat to public order and national security.

The services of the Deputy Ministry, specifically the Department of Migration and the Asylum Service, are working in cooperation with the Police and other competent authorities on similar cases. The Deputy Minister of Migration & International Protection, in cooperation with the Minister of Justice and Public Order, is working on the issue at a European level.

Contacts were made with the Austrian Minister of the Interior on the sidelines of the Informal Council of Home Affairs in Copenhagen. Cyprus was the first EU country to suspend the examination of asylum applications from Syrian nationals in April 2024.

The Republic of Cyprus is the first member state in voluntary returns of Syrians across the EU, with over 3000 already having left Cyprus for Syria.