Two students sent to prison for 20 days for living in north Cyprus without a resident permit

Two students who were arrested for living in north Cyprus without a resident permit were sent to prison for a period of 20 days until trial.

The suspects, MAA, a Nigerian and HK, an Indian were identified and arrested between the hours of 7:00 pm and 7:45 pm on Friday May 17.

They were arrested after it was determined that they had no resident permit to stay in the TRNC.

They were brought to court again on Tuesday. 

Police told the court that during immigration checks on the suspects, it was determined that MAA has been residing in the country without a residence permit for 826 days since February 11, 2022.

HK,  on the other hand, was determined to have been residing in the TRNC without a residence permit for 534 days since November 30, 2022.

Police stated that an investigation by the Ministry of Internal Affairs confirmed that both suspects had no residence permit. 

Police requested that they be held in detention until trial in the future.

The judge who evaluated the testimony given in court stated that the crime of residence permit is a crime that carries a prison sentence of up to 6 months and is becoming more common day by day, and ordered the suspects to be sent to prison for a period not exceeding 20 days.