DPA/AFP
Strasbourg
The European Court of Human Rights has ordered the Turkish government to pay 90mn euros ($124mn) in damages for human rights abuses over its occupation of northern Cyprus.
The decision marks the largest sum ever awarded by the European Court of Human Rights in a case concerning Cypriot refugees and the 1974 invasion of the island.
The court ruled that Turkey must pay the sum to the relatives of missing persons and to the Greek Cypriot residents of the Turkish occupied Karpas Peninsula due to violations arising from the Turkish invasion.
In reaction, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu told Turkish Cypriot media that the ruling “is not binding under international law and comes at the wrong time as peace efforts to reunify the country are underway”.
The court said it would leave the responsibility of how to award the damages up to the government of Cyprus.
Cyprus has been split since 1974, when Turkish troops invaded the northern third of the island in response to a Greek-inspired coup aimed at uniting the island with Greece.
The Turkish-occupied north is only recognised as a separate entity by Turkey.
The case at the European court in the French city of Strasbourg was brought by the internationally-recognised Cypriot government in Nicosia, in the southern half of the island.
The ruling follows an earlier ruling in the case 13 years ago, in which Turkey was found to be guilty of violating the rights of Greek Cypriots.
Cyprus accused Turkey of being responsible for the disappearance of 1,500 Greek Cypriots and displacement of 200,000 others.
Nicosia also accused Turkish authorities of violating the basic rights of Greek Cypriots still living in the north in areas such as access to education and information.
The court found Turkey guilty of violating several articles of the European Convention on Human Rights, including those governing the right to property and banning inhuman or degrading treatment.
The judgment comes as Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot communities resumed efforts to reunite the island in February.
Both sides have agreed to work toward a new system of power sharing for the ethnically divided island.
Essentially this would entail creating a bi-zonal federation, ideally made up of two autonomous regions linked to one central government.
US Vice-President Joe Biden is expected to pay a visit to Cyprus from May 21-23 to discuss the restoration and financing of the ghost town of Famagusta.
Varosha, which is part of the ancient port town of Famagusta, has remained uninhabited since the 1974 war.
During the Turkish invasion, the city was occupied by the Turkish army, 600 hectares of Varosha was fenced off and its Greek Cypriot population fled.
Famagusta is now seen as the main bargaining chip in the decades-long stand-off between the two ethnic communities with Greek Cypriots demanding that it be returned to its original inhabitants.
It was not clear whether yesterday’s ruling would affect the negotiations.
Cyprus has welcomed the court decision, saying that Nicosia expects Ankara to fully comply with the judgment.
Cyprus government spokesman Nicos Christodoulides said in a written statement that Nicosia was “especially satisfied” with the court’s reference that Turkey “has not fully complied with the 2001 decision”.
“We welcome the award of compensation for moral damages to the relatives of the missing (persons) of 30mn euros,” Christodoulides said.
The court ruling said 30mn euros should go to the families of people who disappeared after the invasion, and the rest to enclaved Greek Cypriots on the Karpas peninsula in the north of the divided island.
“With regard to awarding compensation for moral damages amounting to 60mn to the enclaved, the persecution and hardship that they have endured cannot be measured in money,” Christodoulides said.
He said Nicosia welcomed the court once again condemning “Turkey’s policy of human rights violations against the enclaved and the attempt to change the demographic character of the occupied areas”.
“The government looks forward to the immediate compliance of Turkey by taking the necessary measures to stop the illegal exploitation and sale of Greek Cypriot properties in the occupied areas and payment of the compensation awarded by the Court.”
