THE ARCHBISHOP yesterday likened the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) to a political court after the Strasbourg-based institution rejected his application against Turkey, on behalf of the Church and its parishioners, over violations of their right to enjoy property, and holding religious services.
The ECHR ruled that in accordance with a previous ruling, Chrysostomos should apply first to the property commission set up by Turkey in the breakaway north — considered by the ECHR as Ankara’s subordinate administration.
The prelate rejected the suggestion.
“We do not recognise such commissions and we will not appeal,” he told reporters. “Certainly we will not go.”
Chrysostomos said the ruling on the 2009 application had been expected.
“Unfortunately the Court looks more like a political court than a court that dispenses justice,” Chrysostomos said.
He said the case was clear-cut but the “Earth’s powerful do not want to do justice. While in other instances they go to war over human rights, for us, it is like we are second class citizens in this world.”
He added: “We do not have human rights, we do not have human freedoms, we do not have religious freedoms.”
The Archbishop said he would not yield and “in spite of all them we will fight for our country and I believe the love of God will grant us a beautiful and free country.”
In the application the Church leader complained that because of the Turkish invasion of 1974, the Church and its parishioners had to leave behind property and flee places of worship which they could not subsequently access.
On top of that, since 1974, many properties had been destroyed, vandalised, looted or stripped of their religious function and are now used as Muslim religious sites, museums, bars, clubs and barns. Religious artifacts have been destroyed or sold, the application said.
The ECHR ruled the application inadmissible, pointing out that the Church should apply to the compensation commission in the north as per a March 2010 decision on a similar case.
The court also said it had no jurisdiction to consider the complaints regarding vandalism and theft as these acts occurred before 1987, when Turkey ratified the Convention.
