Rights court orders Turkey to pay Greek Cypriots 90mn euros
Strasbourg (France) (AFP) - The European Court of Human Rights Monday ordered Turkey to pay 90 million euros ($124 million) to compensate Greek Cypriots who suffered discrimination as a result of the 1974 Turkish invasion of Cyprus.
The court said 30 million euros should go to the families of people who disappeared after the invasion, and the rest to enclaved Greek Cypriots on the Karpas peninsula in the north of the divided island under Turkish Cypriot control.
The judges in their majority decision noted that the compensation was not meant for the Greek Cypriot state but for individuals who were victims of "degrading" discrimination.
"Those sums were to be distributed by the Cypriot government to the individual victims of the violations," the ECHR said in a statement.
The so-called "just satisfaction award" comes 13 years after the European court found Turkey guilty of "massive and continuous" rights violations following its military invasion and the creation of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, which is only recognised by Ankara.
The July 1974 invasion by Turkish forces -- following an attempted coup by Greek Cypriots supported by a military junta in Greece -- led to a mass displacement of ethnic Greeks and Turks in Cyprus and the Mediterranean island's partition.
Anticipating the rights court's judgement, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said earlier Monday it had "no significance" for Turkey.
He also criticised the court for "bad" timing saying it went against "the atmosphere surrounding the peace negotiations over Cyprus".
UN-sponsored talks over divided Cyprus got back under way in February and there have been some expressions of optimism.
Turkish Cypriot leader Dervis Eroglu last month said he believed ironing out a settlement to the island's four-decade division with his Greek-Cypriot counterpart was possible within this year.
Today Cyprus is split between the breakaway Turkish Cypriot state in the north and the remainder of the island known officially as the Republic of Cyprus, which is predominantly ethnic Greek and joined the European Union in May 2004.
