Supreme court orders release of asylum seeker from Congo

On May 8, 2026, the Supreme Court of Cyprus issued a Habeas Corpus writ for a 26 or 27-year-old Congolese national, ordering his immediate release from the Menoyia detention center. The individual had been in detention since February 12, 2025, following his arrest for illegal residence after his initial asylum application was deemed implicitly withdrawn in November 2024. Although the asylum seeker later successfully applied to reopen his file, the court determined that his total detention period of approximately 15 months exceeded a reasonable timeframe without a realistic prospect of deportation. The court noted that upon his file's reopening in March 2025, his initial detention order was technically cancelled, though he remained in custody under new legal provisions. His subsequent asylum application was eventually rejected, and he has a pending appeal regarding that decision. The court concluded that continued detention under these circumstances was unjustifiable.