Supreme court orders release of 60-year-old Iranian national in Cyprus

On May 18, 2026, Judge Ioannidis of the Supreme Court of Cyprus issued a Habeas Corpus writ ordering the immediate release of a 60-year-old Iranian national. The individual had been held in the Menogeia detention center after residing in Cyprus for 24 years. He arrived in the country in 2002 via the occupied territories and applied for political asylum, claiming his life was at risk in Iran. His asylum application was rejected, but authorities were unable to deport him during his two-decade stay. The court noted that the detainee never concealed his identity and that the authorities were aware of his status from the beginning. The ruling stated that his prolonged detention is no longer legally justified as there is no realistic prospect of deportation. The court explicitly found that the individual cannot be held responsible for the state's failure to execute his deportation over the past 24 years. This decision concludes a long legal history involving multiple arrests, detention orders, and a previous successful Habeas Corpus petition in 2025.