Asylum seekers pleased with promise but set to stay put until they see action
HOUSE President Demetris Christofias yesterday pledged to find a solution to asylum seekers’ woes and said he would meet with the government on their behalf.
“His (Christofias) comments were positive in general and he showed great understanding for what the refugees are going through and recognised they did face severe problems,” Doros Polycarpou, KISA immigrant support group president said.
Polycarpou was speaking to the Cyprus Mail following a lengthy meeting between Christofias and political refugee representatives around midday yesterday.
Despite the politician’s assurances, the refugees, who have been camped out in Eleftheria Square since Monday, decided to stay in place until they had something more concrete from the government.
They are demanding the right to work, better access to housing, medical and pharmaceutical care, examination of each case by a government commission independent from the police, and access to lawyers and independent translators that are unrelated to the embassies of their own countries.
“He (Christofias) was unable to commit the government to take action because as he pointed out he is not the government. Until the government has politically committed [to do something] we will stay here [in Eleftheria Square],” he said.
Polycarpou said that this commitment could come in one of two ways. The refugees would be given either the right to work or access to financial aid, or instructions could be issued in writing to begin talks to find a solution. He suggested setting up talks with senior Interior and Labour ministry officials and then getting approval for decisions at ministerial level.
“If we get a good response and a feeling the ball has started rolling with an optimistic outcome, then we can stop [this demonstration],” he said.
Polycarpou said Christofias had also condemned reports of police brutality towards refugees and said the state had obviously been unready to effectively commit to implementing refugees’ rights.
‘You can’t imagine what it’s like for asylum seekers here’
WHILE THE men talked, over 100 men, women and children waited outside the House of Parliament in the heat chanting slogans and not giving up the fight for the rights.
“What do you want?” shouted one man on a megaphone. “Help!” was the reply from everyone present.
Children sat on the ground looking tired and fed up. Their parents looked no better as they tried to keep them away from the street. One infant dropped his dummy on the floor and his 11-year-old sister looked too beleaguered to bend down and pick it up.
As cars drove by the refugees handed out a press release titled ‘No Human Being Is Illegal’, with English on one side and Greek on the other.
“Immigrant refugees that come to Cyprus face brutal exploitation, class, racial and sexist oppression and constitute a constant target of racist and repressive attacks,” it read.
The press release also targeted “journalists who blame the immigrants for the increase of criminal activities come to worsen the existing climate by creating the necessary social consensus for the continuation of the current regime of terror, the exclusion of those made redundant from production and the disciplining and subordination of the rest”.
Despite not having slept properly for three nights, the majority of asylum seekers were able to belt out “we need our rights”, “government wake up” and “we are not criminals”.
“It’s because our lives do depend on it,” said one 22-year-old woman. “We are desperate. We don’t have any money or food.”
A Pakistani man who had been persecuted and tortured in his own country showed his injures.
“How can I be faking my application? They don’t even bother to check why I’m here. I have six children and a wife in Pakistan and no way to bring them over.
“Next month I’ve been told they’re closing my file. I don’t know why. If I ask why, they’ll call the police. I can’t go back home though,” he said.
A 32-year-old Kurdish man said he was “treated like an animal” by Labour Ministry officials.
He said: “They look at you with this look. You can see it in their eyes. I think it could be because I’m Muslim and they associate us with the Turks.
“Don’t they know that we have problems with the Turks too? We like Cyprus. We are safe here, why are we being treated worse than in the countries we had to run away from?”
Another 19-year-old girl said: “People in this country judge you straight away. They don’t see a person with feelings. They just see a headscarf or colour [of skin]. They see a Pakistani, Bangladeshi or Sri Lankan.
“They don’t bother to find out whether or not you’re application is genuine, they just reject it. If you’re an asylum seeker they look at you in disgust and talk to you like you’re dirt. You can’t imagine what it’s like.”
Especially aimed at Piratis who always chants human right and democracy for all. Read what your type of human rights does to people, even the Kurd is complaining, he is treated more fairly in Turkey, you always argue their case open up your gates and let them in just like the UK did in the 80s, ask them if they are happy with their Kurdish minority in North London...talk is cheap Piratis, action talks louder than words.
