Üstel: ECHR Ruling Confirms South’s Arrest Attempts Are Unlawful

Referring to the ECHR’s judgment announced on 10 June 2025, Üstel underlined that the ruling reaffirmed the legitimacy and effectiveness of the IPC under international law.

“This ruling once again proves that the Greek Cypriot Administration's attempts to issue arrest warrants based on property claims are not lawful,” Üstel stated.

He also stressed that the government’s consistent payments in recent years had a direct impact on the outcome of the ruling. “Had we not made these payments, this ruling may not have come out in our favour,” he noted.

Üstel’s full statement is as follows: “With the ruling announced by the ECHR on 10 June 2025 in the K.V. Mediterranean Tours Limited case, the Court has once again confirmed that the Immovable Property Commission (IPC) is an effective domestic remedy that Greek Cypriots must exhaust for claims regarding immovable property they abandoned in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC).

The ECHR stressed that return of property is not the only remedy and that the IPC's ability to award compensation or offer exchange arrangements is equally valid under international law.

If such a determination can be made even for a property located in the fenced-off area of Varosha, this marks a turning point for our property regime.

We had already affirmed that the IPC’s jurisdiction extends to Varosha. Furthermore, the Evkaf Administration has been a party in Greek Cypriot claims concerning properties in the area. The applicant in this case claimed that Evkaf had no standing, but the Court ruled that including Evkaf in IPC proceedings did not violate the right to a fair trial.

The ECHR also acknowledged that the compensation payments made by the IPC were satisfactory and welcomed the consistency in these payments.

The effectiveness of the IPC is largely tied to the funding it receives. Under our government, we have created a significant fund to ensure its operation.

To date, a total of £350.85 million has been paid to Greek Cypriot applicants. In the 2024–2025 period alone, payments amounting to £106.374 million were made, and 230 cases were resolved. This figure alone constitutes nearly one-third of all payments made in the history of the Commission.

The increase and consistency in these payments have been positively noted by the Court. This is a favourable development for us.

Despite these facts, the Greek Cypriot Administration will continue its efforts to undermine the IPC, which was established under Law 67/2005. However, we will continue to act within the bounds of international law.

Once again, the ECHR has affirmed the IPC as an effective domestic legal remedy. This ruling also sends a clear message to the Greek Cypriot side regarding the arrests: the only judicial avenue available to Greek Cypriots is through the IPC. The only alternative is to wait for a political solution on the island.

In response to President Ersin Tatar, the Greek Cypriot Administration claimed the recent arrest actions were part of a judicial process in which political intervention was not possible. If that is the case, we remind them once again of their obligation to comply with ECHR rulings and call on them to immediately cease these unilateral and unlawful arrest attempts.”