By John Neocleous
Nicosia, Cyprus, June 1, 2008 - The case of Onoufriou v Turkey is part of a number of pilot Cases brought upon by Greek-Cypriot refugees against the Turkish Government and will be presented by Mr. Andreas Neocleous and Mr. Ioannis John Neocleous before the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg.
On April 23rd 2008, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) decided that the applicant could not be deemed to have lost entitlement to his property.
Displaced Greek Cypriots such as the applicant may apply for compensation to the Court for losses due to the denial of access to and loss of control, use, and enjoyment of his property.
Thirty-two petitions of Greek Cypriot refugees against Turkey have been accepted by the European Court of Human Rights and will be examined soon.
Eight more applications will follow, which are considered pilot cases for determining the future of the so called compensation committee. This committee has been set up in the Turkish occupied areas of Cyprus, and it hopes to become an effective domestic remedy for Greek Cypriots, who must first apply with regards to claims on their property.
Apart from the above cases, 1.500 additional petitions are pending before the ECHR. The Court decided to freeze them in view of the decisions to be taken regarding the eight pilot cases.
Cyprus has been divided since 1974 when Turkey invaded and occupied its northern third.
At the present time, Neocleous & Neocleous Law Firm (NCI Law Group’s Cyprus Office) is handling over 15 cases which are currently under the consideration of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR).
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