Turkish Cypriots continue their efforts before the ECHR to reactivate their rights in the Republic of Cyprus.
An application was submitted to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) against the Republic of Cyprus on 3rd of September 2007, by Mr Ali Erel and Mr. Mustafa Damdelen.
The applicants continue to seek to reactivate their constitutional rights providing for political representation in the House of Representatives of the Republic of Cyprus.
Mr. Erel and Mr. Damdelen along with 76 other Turkish Cypriots requested on 28 February 2006 by the Minister of Interior to be registered in a separate electoral roll for the parliamentary elections, a right guaranteed by the Constitution.
The Minister of Interior rejected this request and subsequently a judicial review was initiated before the Supreme Court. The latter dismissed their application on 30 April 2007 basing its judgment on the law of necessity.
Mr Erel and Mr Damdelen now turn to the ECHR as their last resort to secure their human rights. They base their case on a breach of Article 3 of Protocol No1 of the European Convention on Human Rights which guarantees the free expression of the opinion of the people in the choice of the legislature.
In Strasbourg they will be represented by Mr. Achilleas Demetriades and Mr. Nicolas Kyriacou, advocates of Nicosia.
Their hope is that their application will contribute to the resolution of the deadlock in the Cyprus problem.
The case is expected to proceed in the following 12-18 months.