Cyprus
ENTRY INTO FORCE of the European Convention on Human Rights
6 October 1962
Number of implemented cases*
61
Examples
Turkish Cypriots win the right to vote
The European Court of Human Rights found that Cyprus had prevented Ibrahim Aziz from voting and discriminated against him simply because he was Turkish Cypriot. The court ruled that Cyprus would have to make legal changes to secure Ibrahim’s right to vote, which it did in 2006, giving all Turkish Cypriots the right to vote and to stand in elections.
Cyprus
Death of an alleged victim of human trafficking
At age 20, Oxana Rantseva was allegedly trafficked from Russia to Cyprus for sexual exploitation. Two weeks later, she was found dead beneath a balcony after trying to escape. The European court found that the authorities had failed to protect her and also failed to properly investigate after her death. Following the events, a series of measures were carried out to fight human trafficking.
Russian Federation*
Decriminalisation of homosexuality after architect wins case in Strasbourg
For decades, Cypriot law criminalised homosexual relationships between men. Alecos Modinos suffered from strain, apprehension and fear of prosecution due to his relationship with another man. The European court ruled that the criminalisation of Alecos’s sexuality violated his basic rights to a private life. In 1998, Cyprus decriminalised gay relationships.
Case of nine men beaten by police helps strengthen protections against abuse
Nine men originally from northern Cyprus came to work in the south.They were taken into custody by Cypriot police, beaten, and expelled from the country. The European Court of Human Rights ruled that they had been subjected to inhuman treatment. Along with another earlier case, this judgment led to reforms to protect detainees from police abuse.
* This figure includes all judgments and decisions from the European Court of Human Rights (including friendly settlements) concerning which the Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers has decided that all necessary follow-up measures have been taken. Source: the database of the Department for the Execution of Judgments of the ECHR, HUDOC-EXEC.