**UPDATE: the Ministry of Interior announces normal operations at Pournara as of June 15. It looks promising but no official statements about migrants being released or re-accommodated have been made. The fight for justice and anti-discrimination continues, as does the need to keep a spotlight on Pournara. We thank you for your support and efforts - please keep sharing and raising awareness!

As of 21/05, the Republic of Cyprus entered its second phase of relaxing coronavirus lockdown measures, allowing unlimited freedom of movement again. That is, for everyone except the asylum seekers and refugees at Pournara Camp who remain in confinement.
 
Pournara Camp in Kokkinotrimithia, is meant to be a first-point reception centre where asylum seekers complete medical testing and registration with Cypriot authorities. It is built to hold up to 350 asylum seekers for a maximum of 72 hours. Local NGOs, Cyprus Refugee Council and Caritas, have announced that there are currently 700+ people living in poor, inhumane conditions with no response to their demands of being released.
 
The daily operations manager of the camp, Stefanos Spaneas, has agreed that Pournara was “not ready to accommodate all the people who were brought to the camp”. The migrants have voiced their concerns over the lack of hygiene within the camp, insufficient medical services, and sparsity of food and water. 
 
A Health Ministry decree on 20/05, just a day before the lifting of lockdown, indefinitely prohibited any movement in or out of Pournara due to an alleged scabies outbreak. KISA, an NGO for equality, support and anti-racism, has expressed its reservations, declaring that detainees have not been granted appropriate medical care, or provided with sufficient information (Refugee Law, Article 9ΣΤ Paragraph 14).
  
It is imperative that Cypriot Authorities, under EU Law, uphold the human rights and dignity of migrants and refugees and protect their lives (Council Directive 2013/33/EU).
 

By taking action, we urge the Ministry of Interior, to:

• Safely move migrants out of Pournara and into appropriate accommodation 
• Ensure that Pournara has sufficient medical personnel and services  
• Supply adequate hygiene products and disinfection of Pournara
• Lift restrictions on migrants’ freedom of movement according to recent public health guidelines