UNHCR welcomes UK Court ruling on Cyprus-based SBA refugees
The ruling, which overturned an initial High Court decision, means that a solution to the plight of six refugee families who arrived on the base in 1998, may now be in sight.
A home in Richmond Village, Dekelia
© UNHCR Cyprus
UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, welcomed yesterday’s ruling by the UK Court of Appeal, which found that the 1951 Refugee Convention does apply to the British Sovereign Base Area (SBA) in Dhekelia, Cyprus. The ruling, which overturned an initial High Court decision, means that a solution to the plight of six refugee families who arrived on the base in 1998, may now be in sight.
UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, welcomed yesterday’s ruling by the UK Court of Appeal, which found that the 1951 Refugee Convention does apply to the British Sovereign Base Area (SBA) in Dhekelia, Cyprus.
The ruling, which overturned an initial High Court decision, means that a solution to the plight of six refugee families who arrived on the base in 1998, may now be in sight. The refugees and their family members who joined them or were born in the meantime have found themselves in a legal limbo, with the UK neither recognising the application of the 1951 Convention to its Sovereign Bases in Cyprus nor resulting obligations towards the refugees.
UNHCR has long been seriously concerned about the plight and precarious situation of this group of refugees. SBAs are military bases and not designed for permanent habitation, and hence the refugees had limited access to services like education and healthcare while on the bases. Their rights were curtailed and they were unable to travel. A 2013 psychological assessment commissioned by UNHCR documented the adverse consequences of leaving these refugees and asylum-seekers in this predicament for so long.
Now that the UK Court of Appeal has found that the 1951 Refugee Convention does apply to the SBAs and that the United Kingdom has a direct obligation to these refugees under international law, a lasting solution to their predicament may be in sight.
UNHCR now encourages all parties concerned to expeditiously find a durable solution for the refugees and resolve this long-standing situation in line with the Court’s decision.
Press contacts:
In Nicosia, Cyprus: Emilia Strovolidou [email protected] +357 22 359043
In London: Matthew Saltmarsh [email protected] +44(0)7880230985
Related links:
UK government loses appeal against case of refugees at Cyprus base (Guardian Article)
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