The Supreme Court in Cyprus has ruled as illegal the 16-month-long detention of a Syrian national who is on a terrorists’ list and on Wednesday ordered his immediate release.
The Court also ordered the Republic of Cyprus to find a way to deport the man who entered Cyprus through the divided island’s non-recognised northern part and cannot be deported because his country is in the midst of war.
The Syrian had applied for political asylum the day after he entered the Republic which was on February 2, 2019.
His lawyer argued that the applicant’s continued detention was in contradiction to the provisions of Article 9F (4) (a) which provides that detention should be kept as short as possible.
And that continued detention for reasons of national security, without serving a specific purpose, is illegal.
