Cyprus breached right of 2 Syrian cousins to seek asylum, European court says

Associated Press

NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) — Europe’s top human rights court has ruled that Cyprus violated the right of two Syrian nationals to seek asylum in the island nation after keeping them and around 28 other people aboard a boat at sea for two days before sending them back to Lebanon. The European Court of Human Rights said in a damning decision on Tuesday that Cypriot authorities had returned the two 41-year-old cousins from Idlib without processing their asylum claims or ensuring they wouldn’t be forcibly returned to Syria where they could face persecution. The court also said that Cypriot authorities hadn’t provided adequate food or water to all the passengers who had to sleep in the boat for two days without access to hygiene facilities.