Amnesty International Report 2005 - Cyprus

Covering events from January - December 2004

There were continuing concerns about conditions of detention, discrimination against Roma and the provisions covering conscientious objection to military service.

Background

The de facto separation of the north and south parts of the island persisted, with the northern part remaining unrecognized by the international community. Prospects of a solution to the long-standing dispute were briefly rekindled by the intensification, prior to the island's accession to the European Union (EU), of UN-brokered peace talks. The talks culminated in referenda held in both parts of the island to endorse a UN-proposed plan. The plan was accepted in the north and rejected in the south. During the pre-referendum period in the south, the government was accused of failing to show due diligence in carrying out its duty to protect the rights to freedom of expression, and there were allegations of attempts to intimidate individuals into rejecting the plan.

In August the Committee for Missing Persons reconvened after five years in an attempt to discover the fate of about 2,000 people missing during ethnic strife in the island since 1963.

Conditions of detention

In a report published in February, the Council of Europe's Commissioner for Human Rights expressed concern about, among other things, the conditions of detention for foreign nationals in the main Nicosia prison.

• On 12 May, Ionis Ambrosiades, aged 29, died in custody at the Limassol police offices. In July the Deputy Minister to the President informed AI that the death was attributed to suicide. The Deputy Minister did not indicate whether prison rules were being revised to prevent further suicides.

Imprisonment of refugees

A Palestinian couple who feared persecution in the Israeli Occupied Territories were sentenced to eight months' imprisonment in October for possession of false identification documents. They had been arrested earlier in the month while trying to board a plane to another European country where they allegedly planned to seek asylum. They subsequently applied for protection in Cyprus and their applications were under review when they were tried and convicted. The couple were reportedly not given access to adequate translation services during their trial.

Discrimination against Roma

On 30 June the Ombudsperson of Cyprus, a post appointed by the President, released a report on the living conditions in the Roma settlement of Makounta village. The report expressed concerns about the failure of the authorities to implement policies decided in March 2000 that were designed to tackle homelessness and unemployment among Roma. The report also noted that Roma had problems accessing medical and education services in Makounta. The report criticized the authorities' refusal to grant Roma the rights that they should enjoy as Cypriot citizens. One example given was the policy of detaining Roma in prison without a court order, a practice applied to undocumented migrants. Another report, published by the Ombudsperson's office on 5 July, noted problems of access to education faced by Roma children in Limassol.

Conscientious objection to military service

The length of alternative civilian service for conscientious objectors to military service remained punitive at 42 months. AI was also concerned that the determination of conscientious objector status fell under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Defence, which breaches international standards that stipulate that the entire institution of alternative service should have a civilian character.

AI country visits

AI delegates visited southern Cyprus in September and December.