Pathway Opens for Revocations of International Protection Status

An amendment to the 2024 Refugee Law seeks to correct distortions regarding the revocation of subsidiary protection for asylum seekers. The Republic of Cyprus aims to acquire the legal authority to revoke International Protection status.

The discussion continued in the Parliamentary Committee on Internal Affairs, with some objections regarding the intended amendments. New legislation for the 2025 Refugee Law, a large-scale reform, may be considered.

The representative of the Ministry of Interior explained that the amending law of 2024 introduces provisions to make the law applied by the Deputy Ministry of Migration for International Protection more functional. A substantial correction is being made to the provisions relating to the exclusion of applicants from international protection, in order to fully comply with EU law, giving the Republic the possibility to exclude and revoke International Protection status.

The representative of the UNHCR noted that he has no objection to the change of responsibilities through the amendment, but reiterated reservations regarding the substantive amendments. Specifically, Article 6 on the revocation of International Protection status provides for a period of 10 days for the applicant to submit his/her views, which is considered an unreasonable period.

The chairman of the Internal Affairs Committee, Άριστος Δαμιανού, pointed out that there had been an agreement with the competent Deputy Minister for these amendments to be promoted immediately.

The representative of the Asylum Service of the Deputy Ministry of Migration stated that the new draft law on the 2025 Refugee Law has been put to public consultation since July.

The representative of the Cyprus Refugee Council, Κασσάνδρα Σεργίου, agreed with the UNHCR's observations regarding the ten-day period.