Human rights in Northern Cyprus

The United States Department of State reported in 2001 that human rights were generally respected, although problems existed in terms of police activities and the restriction of movement. However, there has been some reports of violations of the human rights of minorities, freedom of religion, and the rights of displaced persons.

Democratic freedom

Freedom House has classified the perceived level of democratic and political freedom in Northern Cyprus as "free" since 2000 in its Freedom in the World report. US Department of State reported that the elections in Northern Cyprus in 2009 and 2010 were free and fair.

Rights of minorities

In 2001, the US Department of State said that Greek Cypriot and Maronite minorities are not treated as well as they should be. However, another US Department of State report in 2002 reported that the government of Northern Cyprus was easing restrictions on Maronites and Greek Cypriots and it respected the rights of travelling abroad and emigrating. In April 1998, the United Kingdom-based National Coalition of Anti-Deportation Campaigns asserted that the Turkish army had carried out a forced migration policy where Kurds were forced to colonise Northern Cyprus from the Republic of Turkey, and The Immigration and Nationality Directorate of the United Kingdom in 1999 said that Kurds were not being discriminated against and enjoyed equal political and religious rights to others.

Freedom of speech

The US Department of State report in 2002 stated that freedom of speech and press was generally respected in Northern Cyprus and there were opposition newspapers which often criticized the government. World Press Freedom Index 2010 ranked Cyprus and Northern Cyprus 45 and 61 respectively. Also, in 2010, the US Department of State reported that the freedom of press was again generally respected, there were no restrictions on the internet, and the independent media were active and expressed a wide variety of views without restriction.

In April 2011, the International News Safety Institute reported that, Mutlu Esendemir, the news editor for the Turkish-Cypriot television channel Kanal T, and a reporter for the Turkish-language newspaper Kıbrıs, were both injured in a car bomb. Esendemir was convinced that the attack was related to articles concerning town planning issues in Kyrenia. Kemal Darbaz, the president of Basin Sen, the journalist association, noted that attacks against journalists had become more common.

Rights of displaced persons

The European Court of Human Rights ruled in the case of Loizidou v. Turkey concerning the right of Greek Cypriot Titina Loizidou to return to her home, since the Turkish invasion of Cyprus, and also highlighted the failure of the Republic of Turkey to compensate Loizidou after the ruling at a later Human Rights meeting of the Council of Europe:

"... that the Turkish authorities had continuously prevented her from having access to and enjoying certain property she owned in northern Cyprus."

The Class Action lawsuit, Greek Cypriots, et al. v. TRNC and HSBC Bank USA, initiated by Greek Cypriot refugees from the Turkish invasion of Cyprus in 1974, has been joined by Sandra Kocinski, Pat Clarke and Suz Latchford who paid for but have never been given legal title to the villas that they purchased in the northern part of the island.

The Immoveable Property Commission of Northern Cyprus offers to buy outright the properties of displaced persons in case of an application to the commission but does not allow the return of displaced persons to their properties or land.

Freedom of religion

Main article: Freedom of religion in Northern Cyprus

The constitution of Northern Cyprus protects the freedom of religion, and it states that Northern Cyprus is a secular state. The US Department of State report in 2002 stated that religious freedom was protected by law in Northern Cyprus and the government generally respected the freedom of religion. The freedom of religion report in 2007 by US Department of State also stated that "Turkish Cypriot authorities generally respected this right in practice" and the practice of religion was generally free. In 2009, Minority Rights Group International also reported that Turkish Cypriot authorities respected religious freedom in general.

On 27 January 2011, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, in written declaration no. 467, condemned the:

"Interruption of the Christmas mass in the northern occupied part of Cyprus by Turkish troops and restrictions to the right to freedom of religion and worship."

Where it was noted that Turkish troops forced the priest conducting the service to remove his vestments and ordered everybody to leave the church thus violating the European Convention on Human Rights.

Other violations

The constant focus on the division of the island sometimes masks other human rights issues. Prostitution is rife in both the north and the south, and the island has been criticized for its role in the sex trade as one of the main routes of human trafficking from Eastern Europe. Domestic violence legislation has not yet been passed in Northern Cyprus. Male homosexuality is still criminalised in Northern Cyprus, while anti-homosexuality legislation formerly in effect in the Republic of Cyprus was repealed following a 1993 ruling by the European Court of Human Rights (Modinos v. Cyprus).

Responsibility

In May 2001, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) ruled:

"... that Turkey was responsible for violations of human rights in Cyprus stemming from the 1974 Turkish military intervention. The result of a complaint by the Government of Cyprus, the decision rejected the Turkish argument that the "TRNC" is an independent state and instead ruled that it is "a subordinate local administration of Turkey operating in northern Cyprus"."