Northern Cyprus and the Failure to Recognize Asylum

Abstract: The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, an almost universally unrecognized entity on the northern half of the island of Cyprus, lacks a formal policy for the recognition and protection of refugees and asylum seekers. An absence of government initiative, the isolation of civil society, and generally unfavorable citizen attitudes toward refu gees prevent this policy from emerging. This policy absence results in the systematic mistreatment of refugees and asylum seekers, potentially placing Northern Cyprus in violation of international law. Simultaneously, refugees must flee southward into the internationally recognized Republic of Cyprus to seek asylum, exacerbating the island's decades-long frozen conflict.