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Cyprus: Lack of political settlement prevents the displaced from fully enjoying their property rights

cyp_cp_jun09
Greek Cypriot family who has lived in this Turkish Cypriot house since fleeing the north in 1974. (Photo: IDMC/Nadine Walicki, March 2009)
Both Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots have been forcibly displaced by conflict and communal violence on the island. Greek Cypriots were displaced in 1974 by what they argue was an illegal Turkish military invasion and occupation, while Turkish Cypriots faced multiple rounds of displacement up to 1974 and believe the Turkish intervention liberated them from Greek Cypriot domination. In both cases, thousands of people were forced from their homes, suffered significant loss and needed large-scale assistance.

During the last wave of displacement in 1974, Greek Cypriots fled to the southern part of the Republic of Cyprus, while Turkish Cypriots took refuge in the north under what eventually was declared the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, which only Turkey has recognised. In the absence of a peace agreement, the areas have remained divided ever since with the UN maintaining a buffer zone between them. While many Greek Cypriots still expect to be able to return and receive a remedy for lost property, most Turkish Cypriots consider their displacement to the north a permanent move and are more concerned with what will happen to the property they are currently living in should the division of the island end. (...)

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30 June 2009



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Relevant Reports 
Judgment of the Court, Meletis Apostolides v David Charles Orams, Linda Elizabeth Orams, Court of Justice of the European Communities, 28 April 2009
2008 Human Rights Report: Cyprus, U.S. Department of State (U.S. DOS), 25 February 2009
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