Belgian court stops woman’s extradition to Cyprus

A Belgian court put a stop to the extradition of a Cameroonian woman back to Cyprus, arguing that she might fall victim to inhumane and humiliating practices, ombudswoman Eliza Savvidou said on Tuesday.

Savvidou was referring to a recent ruling made by a Belgian court examining the petition of an undocumented Cameroonian woman not to be sent back to the island. According to Savvidou, the woman filed an asylum application in Belgium in December 2013 but Belgian authorities decided to deport her back to Cyprus, the country where she originally entered the EU.

The woman appealed the decision before a court, saying that she left Cyprus because she was forced to work as a prostitute. She told the court that following two months of forced prostitution she managed to escape her captors but was arrested by the police, sustaining injuries upon her arrest. The woman also said she was verbally abused by police officers and she was denied proper representation due to the lack of an interpreter.

Additionally, she told the court that she was denied medical treatment, psychological support, legal counsel or getting in touch with any NGO.

To support her claims, the woman presented reports by various NGOs – including Amnesty International – where Cyprus is described as lacking when it comes to protecting trafficking victims.

According to Savvidou, the court ruled that the Belgian authorities did not properly assess the danger the woman was facing upon being sent back to Cyprus, cancelling the decision to be deported.

Savvidou said in her statement that incidents like these are detrimental to Cyprus’ image, noting that it sends the message that the state doesn’t conform with international rules and regulations regarding immigration.

“If these systemic lack of proper asylum procedure regulations are let to persist, leading to Cyprus being accused of inhuman treatment of refugees, then it will eventually undermine our position when we apply for fairer terms when it comes to immigration,” stressed Savvidou.

Cyprus – along with other Mediterranean countries with a porous border – have long protested the EU’s immigration policies, arguing that they are under far more pressure than other countries when it comes to immigrants or refugees gaining access to the EU.

“Authorities must really be troubled by this ruling and set forth to implement all required regulations regarding the protection of trafficking victims,” concluded Savvidou.