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Europe court rules for Greek Cypriot in Northern Cyprus land ownership dispute

By Bernard Hibbitts (editor) and University of Pittsburgh School of Law students.

[JURIST] The European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruled Tuesday that a judgment by a southern Cyprus court favoring a Greek Cypriot reclaiming land in the north is enforceable despite the south's lack of control over that region. Meletis Apostolides, a Cypriot national whose family was forced from land in the north during the partition of the island, brought suit against a British couple who had purchased the land from a third party to build a vacation home. The ECJ determined Apostolides to be the rightful owner of the land, which will likely lead to additional legal claims by similarly situated Greek Cypriots. In turn, this could increase opposition to reunification by Turkish Cypriots. Tensions between ethnic Turks and Greeks in Cyprus have long been high. Cyprus split into two areas, the Greek controlled south and the Turkish controlled north, when Turkey invaded the island in 1974 to quell a coup by supporters of a union with Greece. Attempts to reunite the island have thus far been unsuccessful. In 2004, Turkish and Greek negotiators failed to agree on a plan to reunify Cyprus ahead of its entry into the EU. Despite the failure, Cyprus was one of 10 new members that joined the EU in May 2004. Currently, northern Cyprus is self-governed, the region is occupied by the Turkish army, and it is not recognized internationally.VOTE FOR JURIST JURIST is nominated for a 2009 Webby Award as best Law website. Please vote for us here!

Full post as published by JURIST - The Paper Chase on April 28, 2009 (boomark / email).