Two students arrested for living in north Cyprus illegally set to be deported

Two individuals who where identified and arrested by Turkish Cypriot police for living in north Cyprus without a resident permit were sent to prison for eight days.

The suspects, M.A.W., (F) from Somalia and E.A.H.E., (M) from Sudan were identified and arrested during immigration checks carried out by the police at around 6:30 PM on February 7.

They were brought to court charged with illegal residency and were detained for 3 days for the purpose of investigation.

They were brought back to court again on February 11.

During the session, the police told the court that during immigration check carried out on them, it was determined that M.A.W had been residing in the TRNC without a residence permit for 436 days since November 29, 2023, and E.A.H.E for a total of 635 days since March 14, 2023.

The officer further explained that during the period of their detention, a letter had been sent to the Ministry of Interior regarding the deportation process of the suspects and that a response was awaited.

Noting that the investigation was ongoing, the police requested that the suspects remain in custody for an additional eight days. 

The lawyer of suspect E.A.H.E claimed that his client had completed the necessary immigration procedures but that there was an error in the immigration system.

After evaluating the testimony, the judge ruled that the suspects would remain in custody for another eight days.