Newsroom
A man wanted for allegedly taking over Greek Cypriot land has been released by French authorities and has returned to the Turkish-occupied areas of Cyprus, triggering celebrations.
Behdad Jafari, an Iranian national who also holds citizenship in the self-declared "turkish republic of northern cyprus", had been arrested at Nice airport in October following a Europol-issued arrest warrant dated January 24. He faces accusations of constructing seven building complexes on land in Famagusta that belongs to Greek Cypriots.
French courts rejected a request from the Republic of Cyprus to extradite Jafari, with reports suggesting the ruling stated that Cyprus does not have jurisdiction over actions or individuals located in areas controlled by the Turkish military. Media outlets in the occupied territories described the decision as a “landmark ruling” and suggested it could set a precedent for others accused of illegally occupying land. Some Turkish Cypriot newspapers are framing the decision as a blow to Greek Cypriots.
