ECHR- TURKEY HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS IN CYPRUS
Agamemnon
The fourth section of the European Court of Human Rights has issued its
decisions on two cases Greek Cypriots brought against Turkey,
condemning Ankara of violation of the right to life, as enshrined in
the European Convention on Human rights. The first case, concerning the
application of Kallis and Androulla Panayi against Turkey, the Court
ruled that there was a violation of Article 2, of the Convention and
awarded 35,000 euro each in respect of non-pecuniary damages and
9,888,30 euro for costs and expenses.
Androulla and Kallis Panayi`s son, Stellios, 19, at the time serving
with the armed forces, was killed in June 1996 by the Turkish
occupation forces when he entered the UN buffer zone, while off duty
and unarmed. When members of the UN Peace keeping force in Cyprus
(UNFICYP) attempted to reach him in order to provide medical treatment
needed to save his life, the Turkish armed forces fired and did not
allow it, as a result of which he died.
The second case concerns Georgia Andreou, now deceased, a British
national who was shot by Turkish soldiers on 14 August 1996, during the
tensions that followed the death Anastasios Isaak, kicked and beaten to
death by Turkish-Cypriot policemen and counter-demonstrators three days
earlier at a motorcycle rally in protest against the Turkish occupation
of the northern part of Cyprus. Although outside the buffer zone, she
sustained a serious gunshot wound to her abdomen; she was immediately
taken to hospital where she was operated on. Moreover, according to a
press release, issued following the incident by the UN Forces in Cyprus
(UNFICYP), two of its high-ranking members had seen uniformed Turkish
or Turkish-Cypriot military personnel kneeling down and firing in the
direction of the demonstrators inside the UN buffer zone.