Greek Cypriot refugee’s follow-up claim rejected by ECHR

In a decision published on Thursday, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) found inadmissible an application submitted by Greek Cypriot refugee Pavlos Loizou against Turkey regarding compensation for his family house in Kyrenia.

In September 2011 Loizou filed an application with the north’s Immovable Property Commission (IPC) claiming compensation for three properties in the amount of 4,700,000 pounds sterling (GBP) and GBP 7,100,000 for the loss of their use.

He subsequently withdrew the claims on two of the properties (commercial plots) and pursued his claim regarding the family house.

In April 2015 Loizou accepted an offer from IPC to the tune of GBP 190,000.

He was paid the amount on March 24, 2016.

Subsequently, Loizou complained that the proceedings before the IPC had breached the “reasonable time” requirement, and also complained of a delay in the payment of compensation for the breach of his rights in relation to his family house.

In its determination on October 3 of this year, the ECHR said it did not find the length of proceedings to be unreasonable.

It noted that the proceedings “incorporated a specific settlement procedure which necessitated several adjournments of the proceedings, the production of further documents and the consolidation of the applicant’s position regarding the settlement offer suggested by the ‘TRNC’ authorities.”

The court noted: “It follows that in any event this part of the application must be declared inadmissible as being manifestly ill-founded.”

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