Cyprus continues its pushbacks in spite of M.A. & Z.R. v Cyprus

On 8 October 2024, the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) found that the Republic of Cyprus had violated the principle of non-refoulement and the prohibition of collective expulsion in the case of M.A. and Z.R. v. Cyprus, concerning the pushback of two Syrian individuals intercepted at sea - inside Cyprus’ territorial waters - and returned to Lebanon. Despite this landmark ruling, activist networks and international organisations, including the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), have reported continued maritime pushbacks by Cypriot authorities. To contribute to the documentation of these ongoing violations and provide further evidence, BVMN correlated openly available reports of pushbacks carried out by Cypriot authorities with automatically transmitted vessel tracking data from vessels identified as belonging to Cypriot authorities. BVMN’s research suggests that Cypriot authorities have continued their practice of unlawful pushbacks, including in a potential instance involving boats intercepted inside Cyprus’ territorial waters.