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Iraqis, Iranian protest at British base in Cyprus
Seven Iraqi men and an Iranian were threatening to throw themselves off a building at a British military base in Cyprus on Wednesday unless they got British passports, witnesses said.
The men scaled a 14-metre (45ft) fire brigade training tower in the western sovereign base area of Episkopi and said they would only come down if they got British citizenship.
"Nobody cares about us or what we want. Maybe some of us will throw ourselves down," protester Nabil Naji, 36, told Reuters by telephone.
"We want citizenship, we have been here for seven years and we want our rights. We will stay here until we get them," he said.
The men had entered British sovereign territory in Cyprus seven years ago, getting on the island via Turkish held northern Cyprus, an unrecognized Turkish Cypriot state.
British authorities rejected their application for asylum.
Naji, who said he was from Babylon, said British authorities had told him he had to leave by January 14. "I have no-where to go," he said.
Cyprus was a British colony until 1960 and Britain retains sovereignty over two pockets of territory on the Mediterranean island, now used as military bases.
The men, who are all single, had broken into the abandoned tower on Wednesday morning. Their applications for asylum were rejected by Britain's border and immigration service after a thorough assessment, a British bases spokesman said.
They had been advised to seek recourse through the Republic of Cyprus, since the individuals had crossed through territory controlled by the Cypriot government before entering the bases, British officials said.
"The actions these individuals have undertaken are irresponsible and reckless and they are only endangering themselves," the spokesman said.
The men scaled a 14-metre (45ft) fire brigade training tower in the western sovereign base area of Episkopi and said they would only come down if they got British citizenship.
"Nobody cares about us or what we want. Maybe some of us will throw ourselves down," protester Nabil Naji, 36, told Reuters by telephone.
"We want citizenship, we have been here for seven years and we want our rights. We will stay here until we get them," he said.
The men had entered British sovereign territory in Cyprus seven years ago, getting on the island via Turkish held northern Cyprus, an unrecognized Turkish Cypriot state.
British authorities rejected their application for asylum.
Naji, who said he was from Babylon, said British authorities had told him he had to leave by January 14. "I have no-where to go," he said.
Cyprus was a British colony until 1960 and Britain retains sovereignty over two pockets of territory on the Mediterranean island, now used as military bases.
The men, who are all single, had broken into the abandoned tower on Wednesday morning. Their applications for asylum were rejected by Britain's border and immigration service after a thorough assessment, a British bases spokesman said.
They had been advised to seek recourse through the Republic of Cyprus, since the individuals had crossed through territory controlled by the Cypriot government before entering the bases, British officials said.
"The actions these individuals have undertaken are irresponsible and reckless and they are only endangering themselves," the spokesman said.