Syrian man jailed in north Cyprus for lying about being husband of a pregnant Syrian woman

A court in north Cyprus on Monday sentenced a 27-year-old Syrian national to two months in prison for having illegally crossed the Green Line into north Cyprus and claiming that he is the husband of a pregnant Syrian woman who also crossed with him.

The suspect, a 27-year-old man named only as A.H along with an 18-year-old woman named S.E who is eight months pregnant, and two children, aged four illegally entered north Cyprus from south Cyprus through the buffer zone at around 1:00am on Sunday August 25 crossing the Green Line near the Ledra Palace hotel in Lefkosia. .

The man and woman were brought before the Lefkosa district court while the two children were taken care of by the social services department.

On Monday, Sept. 9, Both the man and the woman appeared in the military court. 

Turkish Cypriot police said they found that he had lied about being the husband of the heavily pregnant 18-year-old mother. Police said he lied with the hope of receiving a shorter sentence.

The woman was sentenced to 12 days in prison, and then immediately released as she had already served the time in custody, being housed in a student dormitory as she awaited a ruling. She will now be sent onwards to Turkey with her children.