Cyprus (south) denies Turkish Cypriot citizenship

A group of Turkish Cypriots who applied for citizenship of the “Cyprus” have had their applications denied.

According to report by Kibris, citing a report by Greek Cypriot daily ‘Phileleftheros’ newspaper, which ran the headline, “No to Turkish Cypriots on Citizenship from the Supreme Court”, quoted the relevant decision taken by the Supreme Court.

The newspaper wrote that the issue of the recognition of Turkish Cypriots who married people of Turkish origin and lived in the North by the “Republic of Cyprus” has been under discussion for a long time and finally the issue was brought to the judiciary.

Regarding the case, the newspaper stated that 16 Turkish Cypriots applied to the court and requested the Supreme Court to issue a “mandamus” [ a judicial writ issued as a command to an inferior court or ordering a person to perform a public or statutory duty] against the Council of Ministers or the Ministry of Interior or the Population and Immigration Department for ordering the establishment of a specific procedure with defined criteria or conditions for the recognition of stateless persons according to the International Convention on Statelessness of 1954 and 1961 or international law.

The newspaper stated that the persons in question consider themselves as “stateless” and that they also think that the “Republic of Cyprus” has not fulfilled its obligation to grant them citizenship.

According to the report, the decision stated that “the applicants recognise that the Republic of Cyprus does not accede to international conventions“.

Stating that some of these 16 people were born before or after the 1974 Peace Operation, and that they claimed to be the children or grandchildren of Cypriot citizens on the one hand and Turkish citizens on the other, the newspaper wrote that in this context, they have applied to the relevant authority to register as citizens of the “Republic of Cyprus”, but they have neither received a response on this issue nor have they been granted this status so far.

In addition, it was stated in the decision that “the applicants, except for one, have Turkish citizenship, as it is clear that one or both of their parents are Turkish citizens, and as a result, they are not stateless as they claim“.  

The newspaper also wrote that the situation of the child (under the age of 18), who was born in Cyprus (Strovolos) and of Cypriot origin, was kept separate from the other applicants.

The report states that the court judge G.N.Yasemis found that the applicants, with one exception, are not stateless in this matter, and in the joint application examined, all of them, bar one, have Turkish citizenship.

The Supreme Court also ruled that the Administrative Court is the competent authority to examine this application made by the 16 Turkish Cypriots.

Kibris Postasi, LGC News