Cyprus jails Syrian man over death of young girl on migrant boat
The Famagusta criminal court ruled that the 48-year-old captain had failed to ensure the safety of the 60 Syrian migrants in January last year during a journey on the small wooden craft, which carried no navigational aids or appropriate communications equipment.
The captain had told the passengers at some point in the journey to throw any remaining bottles of water overboard in a bid to remove any indications that the boat had departed from Lebanon, the Attorney-General's Office in Cyprus said on Friday.
The boat set sail on 18 January 2024, but an engine failure left the vessel adrift for nearly a week in the eastern Mediterranean, where many of the passengers began to drink sea water and their own urine to quench their thirst, according to the facts of the case.
After locating the boat, Cypriot authorities airlifted the 3-year-old girl, who was accompanied by her mother, to a hospital, but medical staff could not save her life.
The authorities did not name the perpetrator or the victim.
The number of migrants arriving in Cyprus has fallen massively over the past three years after tough measures from the government. Authorities said the EU member nation's ability to host many thousands of new asylum seekers was being overwhelmed.
Migrant arrivals to ethnically divided Cyprus — mostly through the breakaway Turkish Cypriot north, where government authorities cannot exercise jurisdiction — dropped from 17,278 in 2022 to 6,102 in 2024, according to the latest available government data.
Meanwhile, asylum applications plummeted from a record 21,565 to 6,769 over the same period while repatriations increased to nearly 11,000 from 7,700.
Following the ouster of Bashar al-Assad in Syria in December, Cyprus' Deputy Migration Minister Nicholas Ioannides said about 40 Syrian nationals on average each day are requesting to either withdraw their asylum application or to revoke their international protection status.
Ioannides said this week that some 755 Syrians have already returned to their homeland.
Cyprus lies closer to the Middle East than any other EU state, and thousands of Syrians have fled to the island in recent years, which last year caused the government to halt the processing of asylum applications altogether.
Last October, Europe's top human rights court ruled that Cyprus breached the right of two Syrian nationals to seek asylum after keeping them, and more than two dozen other people, aboard a boat at sea for two days before sending them back to Lebanon.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
LeMonde
8 hours ago
- LeMonde
Thousands march against the plan to build a massive bridge linking Sicily to Italy's mainland
Thousands of people marched in the Sicilian city of Messina on Saturday, August 9, to protest a government plan to build a bridge that would connect the Italian mainland with Sicily in a massive €13.5-billion infrastructure project. Protesters staunchly oppose the Strait of Messina Bridge project over its scale, earthquake threats, environmental impact and the specter of mafia interference. The idea to build a bridge to connect Sicily to the rest of Italy has been debated off and on for decades but always delayed due to these concerns. The project, however, took a major step forward when a government committee overseeing strategic public investments approved the plan this week. Transport Minister Matteo Salvini, the project's main political backer, called it "the biggest infrastructure project in the West." Salvini cited studies estimating the project would create up to 120,000 jobs annually and help stimulate economic growth in economically lagging southern Italy, as billions more are invested in surrounding road and infrastructure improvements. Opponents are not convinced by these arguments. They are also angry that about 500 families would have to be expropriated in order for the bridge to be built. "The Strait of Messina can't be touched," protesters shouted as they marched in Messina. Many carried banners that said "No Ponte" (No Bridge). Organizers estimated crowd size at 10,000 people. The proposed bridge would span nearly 3.7 kilometers with a suspended section of 3.3 kilometers. It would surpass Turkey's Canakkale Bridge by 1,277 meters to become the longest suspension bridge in the world. Preliminary work could begin as early as late September or early October, pending approval from Italy's Court of Audit. Full construction is scheduled to begin in 2026, with completion targeted between 2032 and 2033. Plans for a bridge have been approved and canceled multiple times since the Italian government first solicited proposals for one in 1969. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's administration revived the project in 2023. With three car lanes in each direction flanked by a double-track railway, the bridge would have the capacity to carry 6,000 cars an hour and 200 trains a day − reducing the time to cross the strait by ferry from up to 100 minutes to 10 minutes by car. Trains would save 2/12 hours in transit time, Salvini said. The project could also support Italy's commitment to raise defense spending to 5% of GDP targeted by NATO, as the government has indicated it would classify the bridge as defense-related. Italy argues that the bridge would form a strategic corridor for rapid troop movements and equipment deployment, qualifying it as "security-enhancing infrastructure." Environmental groups, however, have lodged complaints with the EU, citing concerns that the project would impact migratory birds. Italy's president has also insisted that the project remain subject to anti-mafia legislation that applies to all large-scale infrastructure projects. Salvini pledged that keeping organized crime out of the project was a top priority.
Euronews
17 hours ago
- Euronews
EU Commission reacts to Poland's alleged misuse of recovery funds
On Friday, the news website reported that a map appeared on the National Recovery Plan (NRP) website, showing companies that had received subsidies from the European Union. What began as a simple publication online quickly sparked a dispute online, particularly on X, as users began to point out examples of alleged misallocations of EU funds. Politicians and the media subsequently commented on the matter, calling for answers. The expenditures of companies that received EU grants allegedly included company yachts, solariums, furniture, and coffee machines. Poland qualified for almost €60 billion in funding from the EU's Reconstruction and Resilience Fund. Such allocations were aimed at rebuilding member states' economies after the COVID-19 pandemic. In order to receive the funding, each EU country had to submit a National Recovery Plan (NERP) detailing how the funds would be spent to support post-pandemic economies. Under the former Law and Justice (PiS) government, Poland's access to funding was blocked by the EU due to a rule-of-law dispute between the bloc and its member state. Unblocking reconstruction funds was a key election promise made by Donald Tusk and his Civic Platform party ahead of the 2023 parliamentary elections. Some €280 million was earmarked for the hospitality sector, which suffered heavy losses due to successive pandemic-related lockdowns. A dedicated website presented requests from businesses in the sector, but this service has since become unavailable. Nevertheless, media reports have emerged detailing how some of the money was spent, including on yachts, saunas, solariums, and furniture. The issue of KPO aid to the hotel and catering industry was addressed by Prime Minister Donald Tusk during a speech given on Friday. "I will not accept any waste of KPO funds" - said the Prime Minister. Polish president's reaction Numerous politicians, from both the left and the right, quickly reacted to accusations of misallocation of funds, a number of politicians. Among them was the recently-inaugurated president of Poland, Karol Nawrocki. "I am often asked by journalists where we should get the money for [my proposed programs]. Today is a very important day [regarding this matter]. We have found out how the NRP funds have been distributed in Poland. I do not want funds on behalf of 10.5 million Poles spent on saunas, solariums and coffee machines. I want funding for Polish families," Nawrocki said during a speech on Friday. The Regional Public Prosecutor's Office in Warsaw has begun preliminary investigations into media reports of irregularities in the awarding of grants from the NRP. The President of the Polish Agency for Enterprise Development, Katarzyna Duber-Stachurska, was dismissed after doubts emerged about how EU funds were spent. European Commission intervention European Commission spokesman Maciej Berestecki stressed in an interview with Polish radio station RMF FM that "Poland is obliged to take clarifying action" on the awarding of KPO grants". Poland will now have to submit a payment request in November so that the European Commission can assess the projects' compliance with the NRP criteria. According to the Commission's press service, "It is the duty of Member States to take all appropriate measures to protect the financial interests of the Union." The Commission has the possibility to intervene if the Polish authorities do not react appropriately, above all in situations of fraud. "If we see that this does not work, the European Public Prosecutor's Office and OLAF [the Commission's anti-fraud office] will step in," they explained.
Euronews
a day ago
- Euronews
Syrian groups demand pluralism safeguards after minorities clash
Hundreds of representatives of Syria's various ethnic and religious groups called for the formation of a decentralised state on Friday and the drafting of a new constitution that guarantees religious, cultural and ethnic pluralism. The declaration came at the conclusion of a one-day conference where some 400 representatives of Syria's ethnic and religious minorities gathered in an attempt to assert the rights of their communities in the country's evolving political framework following the fall of President Bashar al-Assad last December. The transition is to include elections scheduled for September and the eventual drafting of a constitution, a process that could take years. The post-Assad transition has so far been marred by violence against minorities, raising fears about the future. In their statements, the representatives condemned recent acts of violence by pro-government gunmen against the country's minorities, primarily Alawites, Druze and Christians, and argued that these amount to crimes against humanity. Ghazal Ghazal, the spiritual leader of Syria's Alawite minority said extremist ideology in Syria is imposing its will on Syrians in the name of religion and killing minorities. He called for setting up a decentralised or federal system in Syria that protects religious and cultural rights of all components of the Syrian people. The conference was held in Hassakeh, a north-eastern Syrian city under the control of the Kurdish-led and US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). Elham Ahmad, a senior official with the autonomous administration in northeast Syria, said she hopes to see the emergence of a Syria built on cultural and ethnic pluralism. "This conference sends a message of civil peace and national reconciliation," she said. Violence against minorities following the December fall of the al-Assad family dynasty have killed hundreds of people and sent shockwaves throughout the country. The violence occurred despite pledges from interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa, a former leader of al-Qaeda's branch in Syria, that all Syrians would be equally treated. Hakemat Habib, one of the conference organisers, said that central governments and "tyrannical regimes" over the past decades have failed and that a democratic and decentralised state agreed upon by all Syrians is the only way to move forward. "Syrian identity includes all Syrians," he said. Druze spiritual leader Sheikh Hikmat Al-Hijri, whose fighters clashed with pro-government gunmen last month, told the conference in a televised speech that "pluralism is not a threat but a treasure that strengthens unity." Also on Friday, a top commander with the SDF, Sipan Hamo, blasted al-Sharaa's government and accused it of continuing Syria's decades-old "dictatorship." Hamo said in an interview with a local media outlet that the SDF wants to join the national army but the al-Sharaa's government is not giving hope for a democratic state. The interim government in Damascus did not comment on the conference.
