Press Releases

Justice Cuts Both Ways on the Cyprus Property Issue - 05 July 2006

London, 4 July 2006: Human rights group Embargoed! today announced details of a series of seminars they will be running on the Cyprus property issue that aim to demystify this complicated and emotionally charged problem. The seminars, taking place a week before the high profile Orams hearing, include a briefing for politicians (Monday evening), media (Tuesday afternoon) and the public (Tuesday evening), and will highlight the rights of both Greek and Turkish Cypriots based on international legal and humanitarian principles. Members of the public can attend the session at Clement House, London School of Economics, on Tuesday 11 July from 18:30-20:30.

The Cyprus Property issue is one of the most hotly disputed, sensitive and complex elements of the long-running Cyprus conflict. It affects thousands of people, both refugees from the conflict as well as current users and developers of Turkish and Greek Cypriot land. In recent times, the issue has become bogged down in political propaganda and as a comprehensive political solution for Cyprus fails to materialise, hundreds of refugees from both Cypriot communities are now seeking individual remedies, including in the Orams case where a British couple is being sued by Greek Cypriots for purchasing and developing land they owned prior to 1974. Following the court case in South Cyprus, a UK hearing is due to start on 18 July with Cherie Blair defending the Orams.

Embargoed!’s Head of Government Relations Ergin Balli explained why the group is tackling the property issue, “The Cyprus conflict has resulted in pain and human rights violations for both sides, yet seldom do we hear anything about Turkish Cypriot refugees or rights. In the run-up to the Orams hearing, putting the spotlight on the property issue should help cut out the propaganda and better inform the debate.”

Chaired by the BBC’s Diplomatic Correspondent James Robbins (Tuesday day session only), the briefings will include speakers such as Emine Erk (Turkish Cypriot Human Rights Foundation), Professor Clement Dodd (SOAS) and Assistant Professor Erol Kaymak (Eastern Mediterranean University). They will cover the conflict’s historical roots, the two sides’ perceptions of the conflict and property issue, and recent developments such as the North Cyprus Property Commission.

The public seminar is taking place in room D602, Clement House, London School of Economics, Aldwych, London WC2A (nearest tube is Temple) on Tuesday 11 July, from 18:30-20:30, and places are extremely limited. To reserve your place or for further details, please email Embargoed! at mail@embargoed.org or call or fax on 020 8279 8561.

The full programme for “The Cyprus Property Issue and Justice for Greek and Turkish Cypriots” seminar is as follows:

• Case Studies: one Greek Cypriot refugee and one Turkish Cypriot refugee will provide the human dimensions that form the critical backdrop to this issue

• Brief history of the Cyprus Problem and Population Movement 1963-present, Professor Clement Dodd, School of Oriental and African Studies, London University. This chronological timeline of events in Cyprus will highlight the key historical events and the movement of the two peoples in Cyprus due to the conflict

• The Impact of Different Perceptions on the Cyprus Conflict and the Property Issue, Assistant Professor Erol Kaymak, Head of the International Relations Department, Eastern Mediterranean University, North Cyprus. To get to grips with the Cyprus conflict, one needs to understand the different psychological mindsets of Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots, which shape their attitudes and behaviour in relation to the Property Issue and a political settlement

• International Law, Justice for Greek and Turkish Cypriots and the Implications for a Political Settlement in Cyprus, Emine Erk, Chairperson, Turkish Cypriot Human Rights Foundation. This presentation will highlight what the international law says in relation to the Cyprus Property Issue and how this affects the human rights of both peoples in Cyprus, together with recent developments such as legal cases and the North Cyprus Property Commission, and their collective impact on the political future of Cyprus

• Questions & Answers, attendees can put questions to the panel.
-Ends-


Notes to editors

Person shown in the photo is Emine Erk, Chairperson of the Turkish Cypriot Human Rights Foundation

About Embargoed! – www.embargoed.org
Embargoed! is an independent human rights group campaigning for the immediate and unconditional end to all embargoes against North Cyprus. The group was launched on 4 March 2005 and aims to play an active role in raising awareness about the isolation of North Cyprus and lobbying world leaders and institutions to restore the fundamental political, economic and social rights of Turkish Cypriots.

Contact Embargoed!:
• Telephone/fax: + 44 (0)20 8279 8561
• Email: mail@embargoed.org;
• Post: Embargoed! Suite 205, 14 Tottenham Court Road, London W1T 1JY

Press Enquiries:
Ms. Ýpek Özerim T: +44 (0)777 623 0466 / + 90 (0)533 876 3166 (until 7July)
E: campaigns@embargoed.org



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