The government on Wednesday issued a statement refuting allegations of pushbacks, after seven migrants died and at least eleven are still missing when their boat sank off Cyprus.
The Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Defence, and Deputy Ministry of Migration released a joint announcement addressing what they described as “confusion” surrounding three separate incidents in media reports.
According to the statement, the most recent incident occurred on Monday, 17 March 2025, when the Maritime and Naval Police rescued two shipwreck survivors and recovered seven bodies during a patrol coordinated by the Joint Search and Rescue Coordination Centre (JRCC). No vessel was located during the search, and authorities noted “discrepancies” in testimonies from survivors and their relatives, the statement noted.
“We categorically deny that there were gunshots fired, water sprayed, or any pushbacks conducted, as reported in some media outlets,” the statement said.
The second incident took place on Sunday, 16 March, when the NGO “Alarm Phone” alerted authorities about people in distress at sea. The three ministries claim extensive searches covering approximately 1,000 square nautical miles were conducted using both maritime and aerial resources, but no vessels or individuals were located.
A third incident on 13-14 March involved two boats in international waters near the Lebanese border, the ministries said. The statement indicated that Lebanese assistance was requested through the SRCC for the rescue operation.
The three ministries expressed “sorrow and shock at the unjust loss of human lives” while criticising human trafficking networks that “place lives at risk by loading people onto unseaworthy vessels.”
They went on to defend Cyprus’s alleged human rights record, noting that the country has granted international protection status to approximately 18,000 foreign nationals over the past decade.
“It is unacceptable to accuse the Republic of Cyprus of human rights violations,” the statement concluded, emphasising that Cyprus “has never ignored a call for help” regarding search and rescue operations.
Figures paint different light on government’s claims
According to official figures, Cyprus has deported over 18,000 people since the Christodoulides administration took over in 2023 and has the European Union’s highest return-to-arrival ratio at 179%.
The country has been accused of carrying out pushbacks at land and sea by many local and international organisations. 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.
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 migrant boat disaster
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, survivors’ testimonies said that Cyprus authorities had fired warning shots into the sea while ordering the people on the boats to turn back.
AlphaNews reported 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.
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