Man remanded for living in north Cyprus illegally for six years

A man identified as YJ has been ordered to remain in custody for three days after police determined he had been living in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) without a residence permit for more than 2,100 days.

According to details presented in court, Jiblin was detained on 25 August 2025 at around 23:30 in Gönyeli. Municipal officers from the Gönyeli-Alayköy Municipality reportedly noticed the suspect behaving suspiciously in the courtyard of Gönyeli Mosque during a patrol and alerted police.

The police told the court that YJ was handed over to Gönyeli Police Station by municipal officers.

A subsequent immigration check revealed that he had entered the TRNC on 8 October 2012 and had not left the country since.

Records also showed that YJ had been enrolled at Cyprus International University between September 2018 and September 2019, but had been residing without permission since 29 November 2019 — a total of 2,156 days.

Police requested additional time to investigate whether the suspect had been involved in any other criminal activity during his prolonged illegal stay.

The police approved the request and ordered Jiblin to remain in custody for three days while the investigation continues.