The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Cyprus has expressed concern about a pushback incident involving Syrian nationals seeking to reach the island.
According to a statement released by the agency, the incident occurred on March 14 and involved three boats carrying approximately 80 Syrian nationals, including women and children, who had departed from Syria and reached Cyprus waters.
“These boats were reportedly pushed back by Cypriot authorities, as a result of which the Syrian nationals were forcibly returned to Syria from where they had fled,” the UNHCR statement noted.
The refugee agency reiterated its longstanding position that states should refrain from “pushbacks and summary returns of individuals without legal and procedural safeguards”.
Such measures, according to UNHCR, contradict state obligations regarding non-refoulement and do not align with international law.
“Any law enforcement operations, including in the context of maritime movements, must be carried out with the respect of international law, including refugee and human rights law, and should not result in situations incompatible with the prohibition of refoulement,” the statement continued.
The UNHCR emphasised that the international legal principle of non-refoulement prohibits all states, even those that may not be signatories to relevant conventions, from engaging in any action that risks removing an individual to a country or region where they would face persecution or serious human rights violations.
Regarding Syrian citizens specifically, the UNHCR continues to appeal to states to allow access to their territory, ensure the right to seek asylum, and respect the principle of non-refoulement at all times.
The agency also repeated its call for states not to conduct forced returns of Syrians and former permanent residents of Syria to any part of the country.
While acknowledging significant changes in Syria that present opportunities for recovery, the UNHCR noted that “the security situation remains fluid, and some Syrians feel unsafe to stay”.
On March 17, a boat carrying more than 20 migrants from Syria capsized off Cyprus. Authorities have rescued two people while seven bodies have been recovered. More than 11 are still unaccounted for.
The NGO Alarm Phone reported receiving calls for help for the boat in distress as early as March 16 and expressed concerns that pushbacks might have taken place.
According to AlphaNews, testimonies said that Cyprus authorities had fired warning shots into the sea while ordering the people on the boats to turn back.
AlphaNews reports that authorities boarded the boats, handcuffed the passengers and confiscated their mobile phones, while some were beaten.
Cypriot opposition parties have called for a probe into the claims.
What is a pushback
The term “pushback” refers to measures taken by states to forcibly return migrants, including asylum seekers, to the country from which they attempted to cross or have crossed an international border, without access to international protection or asylum procedures, or without any individual assessment of their protection needs.
Such actions often violate international laws, including the principle of non-refoulement, which prohibits returning individuals to countries where they may face persecution. Pushbacks can occur both at land and sea borders.
Cyprus accused of pushbacks
Cyprus has faced accusations of conducting pushbacks against migrants and asylum seekers. In July 2024, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) reported that Cypriot authorities forcibly removed 25 migrants from government-controlled areas to the buffer zone, denying them access to asylum procedures. The Cypriot government denied these allegations, asserting that no such pushbacks occurred.
Additionally, in October 2024, the European Court of Human Rights ruled that Cyprus violated the rights of two Syrian asylum seekers by preventing them from applying for asylum and returning them to Lebanon without processing their claims. The court found this action amounted to degrading treatment.
