farm produce were affected by the economic crisis. The government reiterated the critical situation in September when further blackouts were forecast. The economic crisis affected the health system and there were reports of shortages of medical supplies and medicines, as well as fewer medical staff being available. In April, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights expressed its concerns in a report on labour and union rights in Cuba and found significant challenges. The commission detailed job insecurity, lack of health and safety measures, unjustified dismissals on the grounds of political opinion, violations of the right to freedom of association, and lack of recognition of the right to strike, among other concerns. DISCRIMINATION Discrimination persisted, affecting in particular Afro-descendants, women and girls, LGBTI people, political dissidents, and members of religious communities. Afro-descendants continued to suffer the consequences of systemic and historical racism. Activists reported that racial inequalities persisted, creating racial disparities in political representation, access to adequate housing, and employment, among other rights. The state did not collect and publish data on racial inequalities disaggregated by race and ethnicity. Gender-based discrimination continued. Lawmakers failed to include femicide as a crime in the Penal Code, while local NGOs and journalists registered the deaths of at least 86 women in what appeared to be gender-based attacks. 1. “Cuba: José Daniel Ferrer held incommunicado for months”, 6 June 2. “Cuba: Ex prisoner of conscience detained”, 17 February 3. “Cuba: Open letter to President Miguel Díaz Canel on human rights of prisoners of conscience”, 18 May 4. “Cuba: Free the Yoruba prisoners of conscience”, 21 June 144 CYPRUS Republic of Cyprus Police reportedly failed to respond effectively to attacks against migrants, refugees and other racialized people. Forcible, summary returns by sea to Lebanon continued. A new inquest began into the death of army conscript Athanasios Nicolaou. REFUGEES’ AND MIGRANTS’ RIGHTS Although the authorities increased the capacity of the Asylum Service, there was still a significant backlog in processing asylum applications. Cyprus continued forcible, summary returns by sea to Lebanon. NGOs denounced two such returns in July and August, stating that, on 30 July, 73 people sent back to Lebanon were then forcibly returned to Syria. In October, NGOs expressed their concern about Cyprus’s plans to support Lebanese border management capacity and for joint border controls. In 2023, the authorities carried out over 11,000 forced and voluntary returns. UNHCR, the UN refugee agency, reported that “increasing numbers of asylum seekers are at risk of homelessness”, noting the inadequate social support given to them. As of October, asylum seekers must wait nine months (increased from one month) after submitting their asylum application before being allowed to work. The Cyprus Refugee Council expressed concern that this would push more people into irregular work and destitution. In December, amendments to naturalization rules – passed without civil society consultation – tightened residency requirements, and introduced “irregular entry” as a criterion by which to judge an applicant’s “good character”, potentially affecting access to citizenship for refugees, subsidiary protection beneficiaries and migrants. Children born in Cyprus to parents whose entry or stay is irregular – including The State of the World’s Human Rights