TURKEY yesterday announced it would be unconditionally paying the compensation ordered by the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) in the case of a Greek Cypriot refugee.
The ECHR found Turkey guilty of preventing Titina Loizidou from gaining access to and peacefully enjoying her property in Kyrenia.
The court, in two separate decisions ordered Turkey to pay Loizidou $900,000 and allow her access to her property.
Up until now, Turkey had refused to implement the decision, arguing that the land in question was the territory of the ‘Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus’ (TRNC) and not Turkey.
The ECHR however ruled that the ‘TRNC’ was Turkey’s “subordinate local administration” on the island – thus rejecting any claims Turkey had.
Yesterday, the Cyprus News Agency reported Turkey’s permanent representative announcing before the council of European Council of Ministers that his government had begun taking the necessary measures with a view to allow the payment of just satisfaction to Loizidou.
Pressed to clarify, the Turkish representative stressed that his declaration was clear and did not contain any preconditions.
The compensation will be paid by October, the Turkish diplomat said.
Following the declaration, Loizidou said it was a positive development, which showed that the system for the respect of human rights operated well despite the delay.
“It also shows that Turkey has to implement the court decision without conditions, which means that the declaration was important,” Loizidou said.
She said she would wait to see what would happen in October, stressing that “the most important aspect was for Turkey to implement the decision concerning the peaceful enjoyment of my property in the occupied areas”.
She added: “This is the first step for the implementation of the ECHR decisions; the declaration that they will pay the compensation for the loss in using my property without conditions.
“I am waiting however for the implementation of the more important decision of 1996, which concerns the peaceful enjoyment of the property.”
Loizidou’s lawyer Achilleas Demetriades said Turkey’s decision to pay up was a “landmark for the respect of human rights because Europe’s supreme law, the European Convention on the Protection of Human Rights had been upheld, despite the difficulties”.
“Attention must now be concentrated on the second aspect of the decision, which is the restoration of the right of peaceful enjoyment of Mrs. Loizidou’s property in Kyrenia,” Demetrades added.
