Dear friends,
I’m writing this letter in hope that some of you will support us on this really sad and unbelievable episode in our life.
My wife is now 4 days in prison, my son and daughter are home alone, I am deported from Cyprus and I don’t know how to help them, what to do, how to act any more…
To avoid any subjective comments, I will post here articles from Cyprus mail.
Anyone who is willing to help and write on any government e-mail is welcome, that is only what I can do from here to ask you this kind of help.
Until politicians decide what to do, my wife will spend one more (I hope only one more but weekend is here) night in prison, even an European directive requires that people living in European countries for over five years must be granted long-term residency rights.
And, that’s all about Christianity, human rights, mothers rights, children’s rights … I don’t know what to say… I don’t care any more about my any goods there, about cars, about my company but about my wife and kids.
Any help is welcome.
Thank you.
Any help please ?
25 posts
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Any help please ?
by Zox » Fri Mar 10, 2006 7:03 pm
- Zox
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by Zox » Fri Mar 10, 2006 7:05 pm
Snatched from her children to be deported
By Constantine Markides
IN AN ironic move that does not particularly underscore the ‘good relations’ between Serbia and Cyprus that were pronounced during yesterday’s meeting between the presidents of the two countries, a Serbian mother was yesterday taken away from her two children and held in custody at the Paphos police station to await deportation on the next flight to Serbia.
If the government carries out its threat to deport Jasmina Drazic for overstaying her visa, her 17-year old son and 15-year old daughter may be left alone in Cyprus, deprived of both their father, who was deported last September, and mother.
But Drazic’s lawyer, Yiannakis Erotokritou, said yesterday that a deportation would be a “serious human rights violation” because Drazic has been in Cyprus since 1999 and is therefore “eligible for permanent residence”.
An EU-directive requires that people living in European countries for over five years must be granted long-term residency rights.
Jasmina Drazic and her husband Zoran Drazic moved with their two children to Cyprus in 1999, working legally with permits. In June, 2005, the couple decided to open a company and applied for residence, which was denied to them by immigration.
Refusing to renew his residency, immigration then detained Zoran Drazic, separating him from his wife and children. With the help of a lawyer, the Drazic family filed a complaint with the Ombudswoman. But after holding Zoran Drazic for around two months in custody, immigration then deported him to Serbia.
“We have asked the Minister to allow them, even on a humanitarian basis, to stay at minimum until the children finish their schools, but it was rejected,” Erotokritou said.
On behalf of his clients, Erotokritou contacted the Ombudswoman on February 9, 2006 to see where their case stood. But an official in the Ombudswoman’s office replied that they had not yet been able to examine the case because immigration had still not mailed them the couple’s file.
“I believe that they are doing this deliberately to deport the mother because we cannot proceed without their files,” Erotokritou said.
“And I believe this is a legitimate case [their request for a residence permit] and the government should allow them to stay. They are not criminals. They haven’t done anything wrong.”
“It’s unbelievable the things that we [as a government] can do.”
A family friend of the Drazic’s, Andrei Farmakin, told the Cyprus Mail yesterday that Jasmina Drazic had told her yesterday over the phone that immigration planned to send her back to Serbia on the next flight.
Only family members are currently allowed to visit Drazic at the station. “But her parents are in Yugoslavia,” Farmakin said. “She doesn’t have any family here but her children.”
Depending on the government’s response, a group may picket outside the Paphos police station in protest at Drazic’s detention.
“The president of Serbia is here,” Farmakin said. “They’ve made a big thing about the good relations that we have with Serbia and all of a sudden they want to throw a family out of the country?”
Copyright © Cyprus Mail 2005
By Constantine Markides
IN AN ironic move that does not particularly underscore the ‘good relations’ between Serbia and Cyprus that were pronounced during yesterday’s meeting between the presidents of the two countries, a Serbian mother was yesterday taken away from her two children and held in custody at the Paphos police station to await deportation on the next flight to Serbia.
If the government carries out its threat to deport Jasmina Drazic for overstaying her visa, her 17-year old son and 15-year old daughter may be left alone in Cyprus, deprived of both their father, who was deported last September, and mother.
But Drazic’s lawyer, Yiannakis Erotokritou, said yesterday that a deportation would be a “serious human rights violation” because Drazic has been in Cyprus since 1999 and is therefore “eligible for permanent residence”.
An EU-directive requires that people living in European countries for over five years must be granted long-term residency rights.
Jasmina Drazic and her husband Zoran Drazic moved with their two children to Cyprus in 1999, working legally with permits. In June, 2005, the couple decided to open a company and applied for residence, which was denied to them by immigration.
Refusing to renew his residency, immigration then detained Zoran Drazic, separating him from his wife and children. With the help of a lawyer, the Drazic family filed a complaint with the Ombudswoman. But after holding Zoran Drazic for around two months in custody, immigration then deported him to Serbia.
“We have asked the Minister to allow them, even on a humanitarian basis, to stay at minimum until the children finish their schools, but it was rejected,” Erotokritou said.
On behalf of his clients, Erotokritou contacted the Ombudswoman on February 9, 2006 to see where their case stood. But an official in the Ombudswoman’s office replied that they had not yet been able to examine the case because immigration had still not mailed them the couple’s file.
“I believe that they are doing this deliberately to deport the mother because we cannot proceed without their files,” Erotokritou said.
“And I believe this is a legitimate case [their request for a residence permit] and the government should allow them to stay. They are not criminals. They haven’t done anything wrong.”
“It’s unbelievable the things that we [as a government] can do.”
A family friend of the Drazic’s, Andrei Farmakin, told the Cyprus Mail yesterday that Jasmina Drazic had told her yesterday over the phone that immigration planned to send her back to Serbia on the next flight.
Only family members are currently allowed to visit Drazic at the station. “But her parents are in Yugoslavia,” Farmakin said. “She doesn’t have any family here but her children.”
Depending on the government’s response, a group may picket outside the Paphos police station in protest at Drazic’s detention.
“The president of Serbia is here,” Farmakin said. “They’ve made a big thing about the good relations that we have with Serbia and all of a sudden they want to throw a family out of the country?”
Copyright © Cyprus Mail 2005
- Zox
- Member
- Posts: 53
- Joined: Sun Sep 04, 2005 12:59 pm
by Zox » Fri Mar 10, 2006 7:06 pm
Ombudswoman demands halt to deportation plans
By Constantine Markides
THE Ombudswoman has requested that immigration halt its plans to deport a Serbian mother of two whom they detained on Tuesday and submit the woman’s files to the Ombudswoman’s office for examination.
Jasmina Drazic was separated from her 17-year-old son and 15-year-old daughter on Tuesday by authorities because she had overstayed her visa after they refused to renew it.
Last year after immigration refused to extend the visa of Jasmina Drazic and her husband Zoran Drazic, whom they ended up deporting last September, their lawyer asked the Ombudswoman to investigate the case. The Ombudswoman then requested the Drazic files from immigration, but immigration never sent them.
Yesterday, peers of Drazic’s children demonstrated outside the Paphos District office, where they delivered a letter to the District Officer. The letter, addressed to President Papadopoulos, asks that Drazic be released from detention and allowed to remain in Cyprus with her children.
Drazic has been living in Cyprus since 1999. An EU-directive requires that people living in European countries for over five years must be granted long-term residency rights.
Drazic’s lawyer, Yiannakis Erotokritou, said that a deportation of Jasmina Drazic would constitute a “serious human rights violation.”
Erotokritou yesterday phoned the Ombudswoman, who was abroad, to inform her that immigration had detained Drazic. The Ombudswoman then contacted immigration and told them that they should not proceed on deportation plans until they had delivered Drazic’s files to her office for investigation.
Ironically, the police had detained Serbian Drazic on the same day that the Cyprus president and Serbia president met at the Presidential. There appears to be no end to the irony, as yesterday was international women’s day.
“It’s women’s day, and all these people have been handing out flowers, and yet there is a mother in jail right now,” family friend Andre Farmakin said.
“She’s not a criminal. She’s done all the procedures legally and yet no one cares.”
Copyright © Cyprus Mail 2005
By Constantine Markides
THE Ombudswoman has requested that immigration halt its plans to deport a Serbian mother of two whom they detained on Tuesday and submit the woman’s files to the Ombudswoman’s office for examination.
Jasmina Drazic was separated from her 17-year-old son and 15-year-old daughter on Tuesday by authorities because she had overstayed her visa after they refused to renew it.
Last year after immigration refused to extend the visa of Jasmina Drazic and her husband Zoran Drazic, whom they ended up deporting last September, their lawyer asked the Ombudswoman to investigate the case. The Ombudswoman then requested the Drazic files from immigration, but immigration never sent them.
Yesterday, peers of Drazic’s children demonstrated outside the Paphos District office, where they delivered a letter to the District Officer. The letter, addressed to President Papadopoulos, asks that Drazic be released from detention and allowed to remain in Cyprus with her children.
Drazic has been living in Cyprus since 1999. An EU-directive requires that people living in European countries for over five years must be granted long-term residency rights.
Drazic’s lawyer, Yiannakis Erotokritou, said that a deportation of Jasmina Drazic would constitute a “serious human rights violation.”
Erotokritou yesterday phoned the Ombudswoman, who was abroad, to inform her that immigration had detained Drazic. The Ombudswoman then contacted immigration and told them that they should not proceed on deportation plans until they had delivered Drazic’s files to her office for investigation.
Ironically, the police had detained Serbian Drazic on the same day that the Cyprus president and Serbia president met at the Presidential. There appears to be no end to the irony, as yesterday was international women’s day.
“It’s women’s day, and all these people have been handing out flowers, and yet there is a mother in jail right now,” family friend Andre Farmakin said.
“She’s not a criminal. She’s done all the procedures legally and yet no one cares.”
Copyright © Cyprus Mail 2005
- Zox
- Member
- Posts: 53
- Joined: Sun Sep 04, 2005 12:59 pm
by Zox » Fri Mar 10, 2006 7:07 pm
Immigration: we can’t have our cake and eat it
BARELY a week goes by without the immigration department being accused of arbitrary behaviour in summary deportations of foreign nationals. Indeed, there is little doubt that the cases that come to our attention are the tip of the iceberg, involving people with friends or relatives confident enough to pick up the phone to report their plight to the Ombudswoman or the media.
Many of the cases highlighted on these pages in recent months have involved deportations of third country nationals married to EU or even Cypriot citizens, or of foreigners thrown out of the country despite having legally been in residence for more than five years – the threshold defined by the European Union for automatic access to permanent residency.
How many more cases there must be, where deportees do not have an articulate local to speak up on their behalf, or where, while their deportations might be justified, due procedures have been ignored and their basic rights trampled in the process?
There is no doubt that the authorities are swamped under the weight of applications. Immigration to the island has spiralled in the past few years, to the point where Cyprus now has the highest concentration of asylum seekers per capita in the EU.
Understaffed and with little time or inclination for the niceties of EU law, it is hardly surprising that the officers are offhand in their treatment of applicants.
Rather, it is to their political masters that we should look for answers. In any other country in Europe, immigration would be a top issue. In Cyprus there isn’t even the hint of a debate. And yet there should be: not the kind of strident debate driven by the far right, but a rational discussion of our immigration needs.
Cyprus needs foreign labour: our economy would come to a standstill without it. And so far we have tried to have our cake and eat it, to bring workers in without having to consider the social repercussions. For a while, our system of high turnover immigration has worked, but it is beginning to show the strain, and the EU’s directive on residency rights has pointed the spotlight on its shortcomings. The government’s answer is a wave of deportations – some legitimate, others not – but this is a short-term answer that has to stop.
Migrants have rights. Just as generations of Cypriots built new lives in England, Australia or America, so Serbs, Ukrainians, Syrians or Sri Lankans legally working here for more than five years should have the right to build a new life in Cyprus.
Take the Serbian family in the headlines this week. They had jobs, they were not ‘scrounging’ off the system but contributing to it through tax and social security payments, their children were at Greek schools and would have grown up as Cypriots if allowed to.
Is this such a bad thing in a country with a falling birth rate and a severe labour shortage? If we need foreign workers, then we must treat them with respect and within the rule of law, not abandon their fates to the whims of overworked immigration officials.
Copyright © Cyprus Mail 2005
BARELY a week goes by without the immigration department being accused of arbitrary behaviour in summary deportations of foreign nationals. Indeed, there is little doubt that the cases that come to our attention are the tip of the iceberg, involving people with friends or relatives confident enough to pick up the phone to report their plight to the Ombudswoman or the media.
Many of the cases highlighted on these pages in recent months have involved deportations of third country nationals married to EU or even Cypriot citizens, or of foreigners thrown out of the country despite having legally been in residence for more than five years – the threshold defined by the European Union for automatic access to permanent residency.
How many more cases there must be, where deportees do not have an articulate local to speak up on their behalf, or where, while their deportations might be justified, due procedures have been ignored and their basic rights trampled in the process?
There is no doubt that the authorities are swamped under the weight of applications. Immigration to the island has spiralled in the past few years, to the point where Cyprus now has the highest concentration of asylum seekers per capita in the EU.
Understaffed and with little time or inclination for the niceties of EU law, it is hardly surprising that the officers are offhand in their treatment of applicants.
Rather, it is to their political masters that we should look for answers. In any other country in Europe, immigration would be a top issue. In Cyprus there isn’t even the hint of a debate. And yet there should be: not the kind of strident debate driven by the far right, but a rational discussion of our immigration needs.
Cyprus needs foreign labour: our economy would come to a standstill without it. And so far we have tried to have our cake and eat it, to bring workers in without having to consider the social repercussions. For a while, our system of high turnover immigration has worked, but it is beginning to show the strain, and the EU’s directive on residency rights has pointed the spotlight on its shortcomings. The government’s answer is a wave of deportations – some legitimate, others not – but this is a short-term answer that has to stop.
Migrants have rights. Just as generations of Cypriots built new lives in England, Australia or America, so Serbs, Ukrainians, Syrians or Sri Lankans legally working here for more than five years should have the right to build a new life in Cyprus.
Take the Serbian family in the headlines this week. They had jobs, they were not ‘scrounging’ off the system but contributing to it through tax and social security payments, their children were at Greek schools and would have grown up as Cypriots if allowed to.
Is this such a bad thing in a country with a falling birth rate and a severe labour shortage? If we need foreign workers, then we must treat them with respect and within the rule of law, not abandon their fates to the whims of overworked immigration officials.
Copyright © Cyprus Mail 2005
- Zox
- Member
- Posts: 53
- Joined: Sun Sep 04, 2005 12:59 pm
by twinkle » Mon Mar 13, 2006 4:53 pm
Keep this in the eyes and minds of the public. It's in our hearts and prayers. I hope there is an amicable answer and soon.
Have you tried contacting the the Serbian and Cypriot President directy and informing them of your plight?
The Cypriot Government is seems is slow at learning what is actually going on in their own country.
Have you tried contacting the the Serbian and Cypriot President directy and informing them of your plight?
The Cypriot Government is seems is slow at learning what is actually going on in their own country.
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