Latest members’ activities

  • 21 January 2015 – KISA calls the government not to abandon the rescued Syrian refugees in the hands of the smugglers The Ministry of Interior of Cyprus, in the attempt to stop the function of the camp in Kokkinotrimithia where Syrian refugees reside, proceeded last Saturday with the withdrawal of all state services from the camp. Even the presence of the Red Cross for humanitarian aid has stopped following a request of the Ministry of Interior. However the refugees remain at the camp in absence of the civil defense. We urgently invite the people to support the refugees with food and things of first need, since the government is depriving them from every basic human right.
  • 16 January 2015 – Educating for Rights and Freedoms: new project by AEQUITAS ENAR member organisation AEQUITAS (Cyprus) in collaboration with IN-PLANET (Greece) are starting the implementation of the project ‘Educating for Rights and Freedoms’. The project will be a cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices and aims at promoting human rights education through a variety of activities. Among the central aims of the project are to raise young people’s awareness of their and others’ human rights and enhance civic commitment towards human rights protection.
  • 9 December 2014 – KISA succeeds in promoting a meeting regarding asylum seekers’ hunger strikes, in Cyprus
    Last Friday a meeting was held at the office of the Director General of the Ministry regarding the issues concerning the stateless Kurds from Syria, who have been protesting for over a month now as a result of the non-examination of their asylum applications for more than 7 years. At the meeting, the competent authorities acknowledged the need for the immediate examination of the asylum applications. Further, the authorities expressed their intention to examine the request of the protesters to be granted recognized refugee status.
  • 20 October 2014 – Aequitas (Cyprus): ‘Educating the Educators’ programme to create a strong human rights culture in Europe
    The project ‘Educating the Educators’, with 25 participants from Cyprus, Greece, Romania, Lithuania and Slovakia, took place in Limassol, Cyprus, in October. The objectives of the course were to endow participants with the attitudes and approaches necessary for the creation of a human rights culture and to develop their technical ability to implement human rights education activities within their own organizations. The overarching aim was to improve the capacity of youth organizations to promote human rights through human rights education, intercultural education and citizenship education.
  • 17 October 2014 – Used in Europe: campaign against labour exploitation and human trafficking in Europe Many Europeans believe that severe labour exploitation and human trafficking is confined to the Global South. However, in 2013, a total of 1823 trafficked persons were directly assisted by the eight member organisations of La Strada International, a network of NGOs working on this particular topic. In 2012, the International Labour Organisation estimated that 880,000 people are in a situation of forced labour in the EU alone. This is why La Strada International, together with 28 European partner organisations, including KISA – one of ENAR’s members in Cyprus – launches ‘Used in Europe’, a campaign to raise awareness on the issue of labour exploitation and human trafficking.
  • 18 September 2014 – Anti-fascism mobilization in Cyprus One year after the murder of Pavlos Fyssas, an artist and activist against fascist parties in Greece, a mobilization to fight ELAM, Golden Dawn’s sister party in Cyprus, was organized in association with KISA, one of ENAR’s members on 18 September in Nicosia.
  • 29 June 2014 – AEQUITAS: Rights of Domestic Workers educational sessions
    In the framework of an Anna Lindh Foundation project, AEQUITAS is arranging a series of awareness sessions for the rights of domestic workers in Cyprus. These are open for domestic workers and other members of the community. They will be in English and will be held from 13.30 – 16.30 on the following dates: Limassol: 29/6/14; Nicosia: 6/7/14; Paphos: 6/7/14; Larnaca: 13/7/14.
  • 27 June 2014 – KISA: International Day in Support of Victims of Torture
    The United Nations Committee Against Torture published its concluding observations and recommendations on Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment in Cyprus. In the context of the United Nations International Day in Support of Victims of Torture, KISA – Action for Equality, Support, Antiracism sounds the alarm and highlights the fact that during the past week there were three suicide attempts in the Mennogeia Detention Center.
  • 17 June 2014 – Cyprus: recognized refugees demand access to their rights!
    A group of recognized refugees in Cyprus is once again on hunger strike and from yesterday they also stopped taking water. Negatively affected by the crisis, what they demand is equal treatment and equal rights for all people, without any discrimination and exclusion, and most importantly their right to naturalization. Sign the petition asking for the Government of the Republic of Cyprus and the UNHCR Representation in Cyprus to cooperate to save the lives of the refugees. For more information, visit KISA’s website
  • 5 June 20214 – KISA welcomes the position of the UNHCR on the obligation of Cyprus to grant citizenship to refugees KISA – Action for Equality, Support, Antiracism welcomes the position of the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) that recognizes “the necessity [for] the effective facilitation of naturalization, as provided for in […] the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees”. However, KISA also notes that if the UNHCR fails to persuade the competent authorities of the Republic of Cyprus for positive decisions shortly, then it should consider that the particular refugees, once again on hunger strike, are in emergency situation and therefore the UNHCR needs to relocate them to another country, in which they will have full access to their basic human rights and the chance to live with safety and dignity. KISA calls on the Government of the Republic of Cyprus to take on its responsibilities without further delay and respond positively to the justified demands of the striking refugees.
  • 30 May 2014 – Arrest and imprisonment of the Executive Director of KISA by the Administration of the Mennogeia Detention Centre KISA publicly denounces a new attempt at criminalizing and intimidating KISA’s action and the imprisonment of its Executive Director, Doros Polykarpou. On May 29, the Executive Director of KISA went to visit unaccompanied minors, held unlawfully in the Mennogeia Detention Center. On arrival, Polykarpou was arrested for an unpaid parking fine of 160 Euro. During the whole procedure, from his arrest at Mennogeia to his transfer to the Central Prison, Polykarpou was held handcuffed and not even allowed to drink water. He was also denied his right to call his lawyer. Under these circumstances, KISA notes that its Executive Director suffered an unacceptable and humiliating treatment, as well as violation of his basic human rights.
  • 18 April 2014 – “Empowering for Change” courses for migrants in Paphos
    The ‘Empowering for Change’ courses for migrants, organised by Aequitas and funded by the Open Society Foundations have taken place with great success in Limassol, Nicosia and Larnaca. Next stop: Paphos from the 2/5 – 6/5. Application deadline: 1 May 2014.
  • 12 March 2014 – Voices of Europe unite to help Syria’s refugees: Civil society campaign calls on Europe to act now
    The European Council on Refugees and Exiles (ECRE), Future Worlds Center and KISA, ENAR member in Cyprus, organised a press conference for the launch of the pan-European campaign “Europe Act Now” calling on European leaders to act now to protect refugees fleeing the conflict in Syria. On 6 March national NGOs across Europe launched a campaign to call on European governments and EU institutions to offer protection to those fleeing the conflict in Syria in a spirit of solidarity with Syria’s neighboring countries.
  • March 2014 – ‘Empowering for change’ training course by Aequitas in Cyprus
    AEQUITAS is currently looking for participants for the next training course that will take place in Larnaca, Cyprus. The call is opened to migrants from the EU and third countries permanently residing in Cyprus. The main aim of the course is to enable participants to explore the notion of human rights, within the framework of racism and xenophobia. Date and venue: 28 March-1 April 2014 in Larnaca, Cyprus.
  • February 2014 – ‘Say No to Racism’ youth exchange by Aequitas in Cyprus
    AEQUITAS is currently looking for 5 participants aged 18-25 for the next youth exchange that will take place in Limassol, Cyprus. The call is opened to young people from Cyprus, Greece, Romania and Poland. The youth exchange is funded by the ‘Youth In Action’ programme of the European Commission. Date and venue: 8-15th March 2014 in Limassol, Cyprus.
  • 12 February 2014 – Empowering for change training course by Aequitas in Cyprus
    AEQUITAS is currently looking for participants for the next training course that will take place in Limassol, Cyprus. The call is opened to migrants from the EU and third countries permanently residing in Cyprus. The main aim of the course is to enable participants to explore the notion of human rights, within the framework of racism and xenophobia. Date and venue: 18-22 February 2014 in Limassol, Cyprus. Application deadline: 12 February 2014.
  • 24 January 2014 – KISA: No more political negligence: Another migrant dies and another suicide attempt by a migrant in detention
    The case that came to light last week regarding a migrant’s death is added to the long list of persons with a migrant background, whose lives have come to a tragic end under inhumane circumstances in less than a year. Meanwhile, yesterday night, there was yet another suicide attempt by a migrant detainee at the Detention Centre in Mennogeia. Once again, KISA – Action for Equality, Support, Antiracism notes that these are not isolated incidents, with “no link to each other”, as competent politicians and state officials’ remark repeatedly, but rather they are the result and the tragic conclusion of the policies regarding migration and asylum adopted and implemented by the Republic of Cyprus.
  • 8 January 2014 – Press release by KISA: Recognized refugees escalate their hunger strike in front of the Ministry of Interior
    KISA – Action for Equality, Support, Antiracism in Cyprus calls on the government to take on its responsibilities forthwith and to respond positively to the just demands of the recognized refugees on hunger strike for such a long period. KISA stresses that now the issue is not a problem of protection of human rights but one of protection of human lives. KISA appeals to the Cypriot society to show its solidarity and actively support the recognized refugees on hunger strike by signing the online petition to the Minister of Interior and asking him to ensure that people with international protection status will have immediate and full access to their fundamental and inalienable human rights.
  • January 2014 – Aequitas in Cyprus: New Project ‘Empowering For Change’
    This project seeks to empower migrant communities to take an active stance in the fight against racism and xenophobia in Cyprus. This will be achieved by initiating and facilitating the organization of migrant communities into autonomous entities that are active components of Cypriot civil society, taking the form of NGOs, non-profit associations, clubs and charities. They are currently searching for participants who are migrants residing in Cyprus to take part in the 5-day training courses in Limassol, Nicosia, Larnaca and Paphos.
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