“I want to leave here anyway, but I need to get my documents from the school”: Student arrested for illegal residency tells court

A student who has been living in north Cyprus without a resident permit for 7 years was arrested and held in custody on Friday. 

The individual, named only as I.M, a Zimbabwean national was arrested at the the Lefkosa police department on Wednesday August 14 when he came to obtain a document.

He was brought to the Lefkosa district court on Friday charged with illegal residency.

Police said the suspect was detected and arrested when he came to the Immigration department of the Lefkosa police branch to obtain an entry-exit document at around 9:00am on Wednesday August 14, 2024.

During immigration check, it was determined that the suspect had been in the country without a residence permit for 2,450 days since October 30, 2017. 

Police stated that the necessary investigation was being conducted regarding the suspect.

Speaking in court, the suspect said that he came as a student in 2015, graduated from the pharmacy department in 2020, but could not get his diploma because he had debt to the school, so he could not go. “I want to leave here anyway, but I need to get my documents from the school,” he said.

The judge ordered that the suspect be sent to prison for a period not exceeding 20 days.