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In a landmark ruling, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has ordered Cyprus to compensate a British national for the use of her house in the buffer zone by UN peacekeeping forces without paying rent. The court found that the government breached the property owner’s rights, awarding €10,000 for damages and €12,000 for legal costs.
The case, Ioannides v. Cyprus, involved a house in Nicosia that became part of the buffer zone following Turkey's 1974 invasion. Since 2001, Cyprus authorized UN peacekeeping forces to use the house for operations related to supervising entry into the buffer zone.
The court ruled that Cyprus did not violate the applicant's right to property in terms of restricting access to the house, as it is located in a part of the buffer zone deemed inaccessible. However, the ECHR held that Cyprus failed to address how the owner’s consent was obtained and neglected to provide rent payments, breaching Article 1 of Protocol No. 1 of the European Convention on Human Rights.
The judgment is not yet final, as parties have three months to request a referral to the Grand Chamber of the Court. If no referral is made, the ruling will become binding, and compliance will be supervised by the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe.
This decision highlights the complexities of property disputes in Cyprus, a country divided since the Turkish invasion. While the buffer zone remains under UN control, questions of property rights continue to surface, offering a glimpse into the unresolved tensions stemming from decades of division.
