Unit of Rehabilitation of Victims of Torture
Encyclopedia
The Unit of Rehabilitation of Victims of Torture (URVT) has operated in Cyprus
since 2005.
The funding for the establishment of the URVT came originally from the European Council
decision to establish the European Refugee Fund (ERF) II for 2005–2010. Cyprus has been participating in the ERF since 2004, with the Asylum Service being appointed as the responsible authority for its implementation. The national program for the implementation of the ERF is mainly focused on actions in the areas of reception of asylum seekers and integration of persons enjoying a form of international protection (including refugee
s) currently residing in Cyprus.
The Unit was founded with the initiatives of Elia Petridou and Yiannis Laouris
and is operated under the Humanitarian Affairs Unit of Future Worlds Center
, a non profit, non-governmental organization established in Cyprus.
The URVT operates on the premise that no one shall be "subjected to torture
or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment."(Article 5, Universal Declaration of Human Rights, 1948)
The URVT is dedicated to helping victims of torture and their families rebuild their lives, regardless of race, national origin, religion, gender, sexual orientation, or economic or legal status.
is anyone who has experienced any form of torture, which is defined as "any act by which severe pain and suffering, whether physical or mental is intentionally inflicted on a person for such purposes as obtaining from him or a third person information or a confession, punishing him for an act he or a third person committed or is suspected of having committed, or intimidating or coercing him or a third person."
Victims of torture in Cyprus are mainly asylum seekers and therefore have applied for protection in Cyprus in accordance to the asylum procedures as stipulated in the Cyprus Refugee Law 2000. In accordance to the Refugee law as well as Cyprus' EU and International obligations the element of torture must be examined and taken into consideration when examining an asylum seeker's application for asylum. If torture is found then the person should not be returned to their country of origin and should be granted refugee status, or other status depending on the other elements of the case. The victims that are treated by the URVT are asylum seekers and recognized refugee
s, and the vast majority are referred to us by the Asylum Service, Ministry of Interior, which is the proper authority that examines asylum claims. The referral is based on an obligation stipulated in the Cyprus Refugee Law according to which when an applicant claims torture the Asylum Service must refer him/her to a specialist doctor. In lack of any other specialist, the Asylum Service fulfills this obligation by referring asylum seekers who claim torture to URVT. The Unit operates closely with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Nicosia
.
Torture victims arriving in Cyprus are mainly, Kurds from Turkey
, Kurds from Syria
, Syrians (Arab), Iran
ians, Palestinian
s. We have also had cases from Cameroon
, Sierra Leone
and Pakistan
.
The URVT follows the definition on torture and the procedures as stipulated in the Istanbul Protocol
.
Cyprus
Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...
since 2005.
The funding for the establishment of the URVT came originally from the European Council
European Council
The European Council is an institution of the European Union. It comprises the heads of state or government of the EU member states, along with the President of the European Commission and the President of the European Council, currently Herman Van Rompuy...
decision to establish the European Refugee Fund (ERF) II for 2005–2010. Cyprus has been participating in the ERF since 2004, with the Asylum Service being appointed as the responsible authority for its implementation. The national program for the implementation of the ERF is mainly focused on actions in the areas of reception of asylum seekers and integration of persons enjoying a form of international protection (including refugee
Refugee
A refugee is a person who outside her country of origin or habitual residence because she has suffered persecution on account of race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or because she is a member of a persecuted 'social group'. Such a person may be referred to as an 'asylum seeker' until...
s) currently residing in Cyprus.
The Unit was founded with the initiatives of Elia Petridou and Yiannis Laouris
Yiannis Laouris
Yiannis Laouris is a social and business entrepreneur. He is a neurophysiologist and systems scientist trained in Germany and the US, who has also become known for his socially responsible work and scientific contributions in the fields of peace and development through the application of modern...
and is operated under the Humanitarian Affairs Unit of Future Worlds Center
Future Worlds Center
Future Worlds Center is a non-profit, non-Governmental independent organization active in programs with future orientation in areas related to positive social change, social entrepreneurship and transformation.-Founding history:...
, a non profit, non-governmental organization established in Cyprus.
The URVT operates on the premise that no one shall be "subjected to torture
Torture
Torture is the act of inflicting severe pain as a means of punishment, revenge, forcing information or a confession, or simply as an act of cruelty. Throughout history, torture has often been used as a method of political re-education, interrogation, punishment, and coercion...
or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment."(Article 5, Universal Declaration of Human Rights, 1948)
The URVT is dedicated to helping victims of torture and their families rebuild their lives, regardless of race, national origin, religion, gender, sexual orientation, or economic or legal status.
The victims
For the Unit, a victim of tortureTorture
Torture is the act of inflicting severe pain as a means of punishment, revenge, forcing information or a confession, or simply as an act of cruelty. Throughout history, torture has often been used as a method of political re-education, interrogation, punishment, and coercion...
is anyone who has experienced any form of torture, which is defined as "any act by which severe pain and suffering, whether physical or mental is intentionally inflicted on a person for such purposes as obtaining from him or a third person information or a confession, punishing him for an act he or a third person committed or is suspected of having committed, or intimidating or coercing him or a third person."
Victims of torture in Cyprus are mainly asylum seekers and therefore have applied for protection in Cyprus in accordance to the asylum procedures as stipulated in the Cyprus Refugee Law 2000. In accordance to the Refugee law as well as Cyprus' EU and International obligations the element of torture must be examined and taken into consideration when examining an asylum seeker's application for asylum. If torture is found then the person should not be returned to their country of origin and should be granted refugee status, or other status depending on the other elements of the case. The victims that are treated by the URVT are asylum seekers and recognized refugee
Refugee
A refugee is a person who outside her country of origin or habitual residence because she has suffered persecution on account of race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or because she is a member of a persecuted 'social group'. Such a person may be referred to as an 'asylum seeker' until...
s, and the vast majority are referred to us by the Asylum Service, Ministry of Interior, which is the proper authority that examines asylum claims. The referral is based on an obligation stipulated in the Cyprus Refugee Law according to which when an applicant claims torture the Asylum Service must refer him/her to a specialist doctor. In lack of any other specialist, the Asylum Service fulfills this obligation by referring asylum seekers who claim torture to URVT. The Unit operates closely with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Nicosia
Nicosia
Nicosia from , known locally as Lefkosia , is the capital and largest city in Cyprus, as well as its main business center. Nicosia is the only divided capital in the world, with the southern and the northern portions divided by a Green Line...
.
Torture victims arriving in Cyprus are mainly, Kurds from Turkey
Kurds in Turkey
Ethnic Kurds compose a significant portion of the population in Turkey . Unlike the Turks, the Kurds speak an Indo-European language...
, Kurds from Syria
Kurds in Syria
Kurds are the largest ethnic minority in Syria making up 10% of the country's population. Most of them are Sunni Muslims; there are also Yazidi and Yarsan Kurds in Syria and small numbers of Christians and Alawis. They face routine discrimination and harassment by the Syrian...
, Syrians (Arab), Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
ians, Palestinian
Palestinian people
The Palestinian people, also referred to as Palestinians or Palestinian Arabs , are an Arabic-speaking people with origins in Palestine. Despite various wars and exoduses, roughly one third of the world's Palestinian population continues to reside in the area encompassing the West Bank, the Gaza...
s. We have also had cases from Cameroon
Cameroon
Cameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon , is a country in west Central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west; Chad to the northeast; the Central African Republic to the east; and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the Republic of the Congo to the south. Cameroon's coastline lies on the...
, Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone , officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Guinea to the north and east, Liberia to the southeast, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west and southwest. Sierra Leone covers a total area of and has an estimated population between 5.4 and 6.4...
and Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
.
The URVT follows the definition on torture and the procedures as stipulated in the Istanbul Protocol
Istanbul Protocol
The Manual on Effective Investigation and Documentation of Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, commonly known as the Istanbul Protocol, is the first set of international guidelines for documentation of torture and its consequences...
.