European Court of Human Rights pressures Northern Cyprus into repealing anti-sodomy law

[Wholegrain]

Northern Cyprus votes to legalise gay sex | World news | theguardian.com

Owen Bowcott, legal affairs correspondent
theguardian.com, Monday 27 January 2014 10.08 EST
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The flag of Northern Cyprus, where gay sex will become legal when president Derviş Eroğlu endorses the law passed by MPs on Monday. Photograph: Fatih Saribas/Reuters
Northern Cyprus, the last jurisdiction in Europe where gay sex between consenting adults was illegal, has voted to remove the offence from its statute books.

Turkish Cypriot deputies passed an amendment on Monday repealing a colonial-era law that punished homosexual acts with up to five years in prison.

The change still has to be endorsed by the breakaway republic's president, Derviş Eroğlu, who is expected to support the reform.

Once enacted, the new law will mean that no states in Europe, Australasia or North America criminalise homosexuality. The contrasting trend in Africa, however, has been for new laws banning gay groups to come before local parliaments; this month Nigeria began to enforce harsh legislation against same-sex marriages.

The change of heart by MPs in Northern Cyprus has been partially influenced by neighbouring Turkey's enthusiasm for revitalising negotiations with the EU on its future membership.

Legal action against Northern Cyprus's laws criminalising homosexuality had also been launched at the European court of human rights in Strasbourg by the London-based Human Dignity Trust.

Cyprus legalised gay sex between consenting adults after a ruling by the human rights court in 1993, but the division between the island's Greek and Turkish republics meant many criminal laws inherited from the era of British colonial occupation – including the ban on homosexuality – remained in force in the North.

Jonathan Cooper, the chief executive of the Human Dignity Trust, said: "This is a historic day for gay people in Europe and a major victory for human rights, equality and the Human Dignity Trust.

"Our case before the European court required the law to be changed. Nowhere in Europe now still criminalises gay people and we are proud to say that we have played a significant role in bringing this shameful chapter in European history to an end.

"Laws against private, consenting homosexual acts between adults criminalise someone's very identity and have no place in the modern world.

"These pernicious anti-gay laws, which protect no one and cause deep distress and harm to gay and lesbian people, still exist in 82 legal jurisdictions. But that is one fewer than yesterday, and this we must celebrate."

The trust's case had been supported by the Northern Cypriot lesbian and gay organisation Queer Cyprus. The president's assent to the legal reform is expected within the next two weeks.

Europe's Last Sodomy Law Repealed | News OK

Europe's Last Sodomy Law Repealed
BuzzFeed Published: January 27, 2014
The parliament of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus voted Monday to repeal the last law in Europe criminalizing same-sex intercourse, according to BuzzFeed.com.

The bill repealing the sodomy law, passed with 28 votes in favor, one opposed, and 21 abstentions, now heads to the territory’s president, Derviş Eroğlu, but LGBT activists tell BuzzFeed they have assurances that he will not veto the legislation. The move comes partly in response to a complaint against the law filed in the European Court of Human Rights, which ruled in 1981 that sodomy laws were a breach of human rights accords in the case Dudgeon v. the United Kingdom.

Cyprus, which lies in the Mediterranean between Greece and Turkey, is a former British colony now divided into Greek and Turkish sections. Northern Cyprus is officially known as the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, and its government is recognized only by Turkey, BuzzFeed.com reports.

Northern Cyprus: Territory Repeals Europe's Last Sodomy Law | TIME.com

The court does NOT have jurisdiction over Northern Cyprus, this was purely a move by the EU pressuring Turkey to in turn put pressure on Northern Cyprus. The court and EU are not supposed to be connected and are not the same organization, but apparently one of them must do the other's bidding....

 

[jhungary]

Well, it's not that EU court have juridiction over Northern Cyprus, the EU have juridiction in Northern Cyrpus, just the Northern Cyrpus chose to ignore it.

In term of international community, Northern Cyprus as a state DOES NOT EXIST. UN had put their foot down on the issue with Resolution 550

United Nations Security Council Resolution 550 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

the Council condemned the illegal secessionist activities in the occupied part of the Republic of Cyprus from Turkey, in violation of the previous resolutions.

The Council then called on other Member States not to recognise Northern Cyprus, condemning the exchange of ambassadors between Turkey and Northern Cyprus and considering all attempts to interfere with the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus contrary to Security Council resolutions. Finally, the resolution also called for the Secretary-General to promote the implementation of the current resolution.

Currently no country in this world recgonized Northern Cyprus as a state, not even Pakistan that voted agaisnt the Resolution, except Turkey.

Just because the Northern Cyprus does not respect the UN and EU Court, that does not mean they do not have juridiction over said area.

 

[Wholegrain]

Well, it's not that EU court have juridiction over Northern Cyprus, the EU have juridiction in Northern Cyrpus, just the Northern Cyrpus chose to ignore it.

In term of international community, Northern Cyprus as a state DOES NOT EXIST. UN had put their foot down on the issue with Resolution 550

United Nations Security Council Resolution 550 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia



Currently no country in this world recgonized Northern Cyprus as a state, not even Pakistan that voted agaisnt the Resolution, except Turkey.

Just because the Northern Cyprus does not respect the UN and EU Court, that does not mean they do not have juridiction over said area.

The actual topic is about the Court dictating what goes on in other lands. EU and European Court of Human Rights are different organizations, not Northern Cyprus.

This is the same Court which people hate because it has issues with extraditing certain individuals......... There was a big extradition last year involving a high profile terrorist suspect.

 

[Armstrong]

@T-123456 @Sinan @xenon54 - You're legalizing what ?

I love women who love each other with me in between them !

But men loving men !

Ahhhh well at least @T-123456 would be able to get 'some' after all - So I suppose I'm happy for my Brother !

 

[T-123456]

@T-123456 @Sinan @xenon54 - You're legalizing what ?

I love women who love each other with me in between them !

But men loving men !

Ahhhh well at least @T-123456 would be able to get 'some' after all - So I suppose I'm happy for my Brother !

Your future is bright,very bright

No pressure will succeed in regards to KKTC(Northern-Cyprus).
To be honest,nobody cares on the Turkish side

 

[Desertfalcon]

Ironically, Turkey itself has had no law prohibiting such sexual activity for over 150 years. I looked it up.

 

[-SINAN-]

We don't give a dime about what EU thinks about Turkish part of the Island. The whole world remained silent while Turk's were being massacred on the island, they should stay silent now as well.

 

[jhungary]

The actual topic is about the Court dictating what goes on in other lands. EU and European Court of Human Rights are different organizations, not Northern Cyprus.

This is the same Court which people hate because it has issues with extraditing certain individuals......... There was a big extradition last year involving a high profile terrorist suspect.

The problem as i see is, people do not respect the court finding. That's hardly the court fault.

You can come out and say Northern Cyrpus is an turkey issue, but the world do disagree and they all think Northern Turkey is an Republic of Crypus issue. Then that will make it EU issue, and that will make it a European Court of Human Right issue.

Just this is something thaty Northern Crypus and Turkey does not necessary mean they are useless

Irish keep granting people born in Northern Ireland citizenship, even tho British does not regonize them, does it mean what Irish do is useless??

 

[-SINAN-]

Well, it's not that EU court have juridiction over Northern Cyprus, the EU have juridiction in Northern Cyrpus, just the Northern Cyrpus chose to ignore it.

In term of international community, Northern Cyprus as a state DOES NOT EXIST. UN had put their foot down on the issue with Resolution 550

United Nations Security Council Resolution 550 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia



Currently no country in this world recgonized Northern Cyprus as a state, not even Pakistan that voted agaisnt the Resolution, except Turkey.

Just because the Northern Cyprus does not respect the UN and EU Court, that does not mean they do not have juridiction over said area.

EU court helds jurisdiction over TRNC as much as they hold in Syria.