Human Rights Committee considers Report of Cyprus

Human Rights Committee

20 March 2015

The Human Rights Committee today concluded its consideration of the fourth periodic report of Cyprus on its implementation of the provisions of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

Presenting the report, the Head of Delegation, Leda Koursoumba, Law Commissioner of Cyprus, highlighted many concrete measures taken by Cyprus since its last report to implement the Covenant, particularly in the areas of non-discrimination, eradicating the use of corporal punishment, the prohibition of torture and the treatment of persons deprived of liberty. She briefed on new initiatives to combat violence against women and children, particularly domestic violence. A new emergency reception centre to temporarily accommodate migrants was set up in 2014 and in December 2012 the Government entered into an agreement with the International Organization for Migration to establish a comprehensive migration policy. Ms. Koursoumba noted that due to the continuing occupation of 36.2 per cent of its territory by Turkish military forces, Cyprus was unable to ensure the application of civil and political rights in that part of the country.

The Committee Experts commended Cyprus for its efforts in strengthening the Office of the Ombudsperson and in the abolishment of corporal punishment and combating racial discrimination. Experts asked the delegation about its actions to resolve cases of missing persons and efforts to increase the number of Turkish Cypriots and other minorities in public sector and the civil service in particular. The delegation was asked to clarify the procedures for granting citizenship and securing voting rights to internally displaced persons and their children. Experts expressed concerns about the screening and evaluation of migrants and asylum seekers, an alleged increase in attacks against Turkish Cypriots in the area controlled by the Government, freedom of religion, and the number of crossing points on the island.

In concluding remarks, Ms. Koursoumba thanked the Committee for the constructive dialogue, noting that their comments would be submitted to the Council of Ministers, which would then pass them on to relevant ministries. She reiterated that respect for human rights was a top priority for the Government of Cyprus.

Fabian Omar Salvioli, Chairperson of the Committee, in concluding remarks said Cyprus had to ensure that the principle of non-discrimination was respected through public policies. The Government should prioritize the issue of displacement and make efforts to resolve historic cases of disappearances and suggested the mandate of the Committee on Missing Persons be extended.

The Delegation of Cyprus included representatives of the Ministry of Justice and Public Order, the Ministry of Interior, the Ministry of Labour, Welfare and Social Insurance, and the Permanent Mission of Cyprus at the United Nations Office in Geneva.

The Committee will next meet in public on Monday, 23 March, at 10 a.m. to consider the third periodic report of Croatia (CCPR/C/HRV/3).

Report

The initial report of Cyprus can be read here: CCPR/C/CYP/4.

Presentation of the Report

LEDA KOURSOUMBA, Law Commissioner of Cyprus, said the constitution of Cyprus had an extensive Bill of Rights which incorporated all fundamental rights enshrined in the basic human rights instruments. Cyprus had ratified the majority of the binding universal and regional human rights instruments and was up date with its treaty reporting obligations. Ms. Koursoumba stated that unfortunately, due to the continuing occupation of 36.2 per cent of Cyprus’ territory by Turkish military forces, Cyprus was unable to ensure the application of civil and political rights in that part of the country.
As part of its anti-discrimination measures the Ministry of Education and Culture had compiled a code of conduct against racism and a guide for managing and reporting racist incidents in schools. Following intervention from the Ombudsman regarding the necessity to regulate cohabitation outside of marriage for different and same-sex couples, the Ministry of Interior had prepared a bill on the establishment of a civil partnership pact. Torture and cruel, inhumane or degrading treatment was prohibited. A school mediation programme was offered to teachers and students of primary and secondary education as an alternative to physical discipline.

It gave students an opportunity to resolve conflict without resorting to violence, through compromise and restorative actions, thus creating a culture of understanding, respect and tolerance. With respect to the right to liberty and security and the treatment of persons deprived of liberty, including conditions of detention, rights of migrants, refugees and asylum seekers, Ms. Koursoumba informed the Committee that the police were currently implementing a programme providing psychological support in cooperation with the Cyprus Red Cross. The detention of persons awaiting removal was used only as a last resort when other measures could not be implemented, and only for the shortest period of time. Such matters were strictly and specifically regulated by the Aliens and Immigration Law, and the Refugee Law.

A policy decision was issued to eliminate incidents of separation of children from their mother or single parent. As for the principle of “non-refoulement,” where a non-European Union national in detention submitted an application for international protection, the deportation order was suspended. The Ombudsman closely monitored the authorities to ensure they acted in accordance with international standards. In addition, a training programme was offered to the prison staff on the basic concepts of human rights and non-discrimination. With respect to violence against women and children, including domestic violence, Ms. Koursoumba informed the Committee that financial and technical aid was provided from the Social Welfare Services to the Association for the Prevention and Handling of Violence in the Family, a civil society organization.

The Ombudsman ran an awareness-raising campaign to combat violence against women. The elimination of slavery and servitude and forced labour were dealt with through a re-examination of the criteria for the employment of domestic workers. A new emergency reception centre to temporarily accommodate migrants was set up in 2014 and in December 2012 the Government entered into an agreement with the International Organization for Migration to establish a comprehensive migration policy. Local authorities were increasingly involved in running programmes for the smooth integration of migrants in their areas. The Government was also taking steps to enhance the freedom of artistic expression, the rights of ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities, as well as to enhance effective monitoring of State policies with respect to the protection of civil and political rights.

Questions by the Experts

The Committee commended the State Party for efforts to strengthen the Office of the Ombudsman but enquired whey the Ombudsperson was prevented from recruiting her own personnel. The Ombudsperson’s mandate was very broad, including mechanisms for the implementation of the rights of persons with disabilities, human rights, and fight against torture. Did it have enough personnel and budget to deal with all those issues? It appeared that the information available in Turkish on the website of the Ombudsman was rather limited. The division of the island impeded the full implementation of the Covenant, said an Expert, and the Committee wondered how the division affected investigations into missing persons, accountability, residency and other relevant issues.
An Expert asked about the role of women in peace negotiations noting that women were involved in inter-communal talks but their participation in high-level negotiations was relatively low. He inquired whether the Government had anything to report on gender equality in the peace negotiations, as they revolved more around issues of ethnicity rather than gender equality. The Committee commended the Government’s measures to close the gap in gender-related matters, and noted that the composition of the delegation exhibited good gender balance. However, it raised concerns about the pay gap between men and women.

Cyprus had made significant progress with respect to corporal punishment but the Committee wondered what happened to parents and teachers who used corporal punishment, as permitted by Article 54 of the Children’s Law. There had been an increase in reports of domestic violence but a low number of investigations and relatively mild sentences for such crimes. The Committee also inquired about the opening of a rape crisis centre, about the redefinition of “domestic violence” in line with recommendations, and the provision of social welfare to victims of domestic violence.
Civil society organizations had reported delays in the processing of applications for citizenship and that there was no criteria upon which it was granted. Concern was expressed about the persistent inequality of the right to vote for children of internally displaced parents. An Expert inquired about the number of missing persons. Some 502 Turkish Cypriots and 1,534 Greek Cypriots had been reported missing – how many investigations had been carried out?

The Committee welcomed the steps taken by the Government to combat discrimination and report racist incidents. However it had received reports of an increase in racist attacks against Turkish Cypriots and other minorities since the last report. An Expert noted that members of the Turkish community were not represented in the judiciary, and asked if was time to change that situation.

The Committee noted positive measures taken to tackle incidents of police brutality but expressed concern about the low number of prosecuted cases, noting there had only been one conviction for an assault case by a police officer and that eight cases had been pending since 2011. The Committee welcomed the efforts of the Government to prevent death and suicide in custody. It asked for information on the recent number of death and suicide cases in prisons, as well as on the steps taken to monitor and prevent inter-prisoner violence. An Expert asked about the use of solitary confinement.

An Expert referred to a report by Amnesty International which claimed that there was an excessive use of force in detention centres and that tear gas had been used against migrants being held at the Menoyia detention centre. Concerns were also raised about the conditions in detention centres, in particular the problem of overcrowding. Some facilities were clearly not intended to hold migrants. The conditions at the Menoyia Detention Centre, where some 600 prisoners including minors were held, reportedly did not comply with international standards.

As for the expulsion and deportation of migrants, reports showed that the screening and evaluation of migrants was not conducted in line with international standards. For example, psychologists were not present to assess the situation of victims of torture, and translation was not provided either. The lack of translation was particularly alarming in the case of children victims of sexual trafficking. The principle of family reunion was not respected. It seemed that it was still a common practice of the Cypriot authorities to detain asylum seekers and refugees. Information indicated that a number of Syrians were detained, which went against the Covenant principles. The delegation was asked to provide concrete data on those allegations.

Responses by the Delegation

The Head of Delegation said that the Office of Ombudsperson had indeed been given a number of competences. Considering its limited financial resources the Ombudsperson was doing a very good job. Admittedly, the Office of Ombudsperson should have more staff, but the Ombudsperson herself did not ask for more staff or funding. The Office of Ombudsperson made efforts to provide information on its website and its report in Turkish but because Turkish compatriots had not participated in the administration since 1974 it was difficult to get Turkish translation.

Corporal punishment had been banned in Cyprus for the last 10 to 15 years and was prohibited in family settings and in schools. Family violence legislation strictly forbade any form of corporal punishment, including psychological punishment. Article 54 of the Children’s Law was repealed last year and, anyway, it could never be implemented because such actions were criminalized under other laws.

Cyprus was a pioneering country in terms of legislation combating domestic violence. Increased reporting of such cases was, in fact, a positive development because it meant women felt confident in coming forward and reporting attacks and violations. To improve the conviction rate of perpetrators it was necessary to change attitudes and culture. A new National Action Plan on the Combatting of Violence was being prepared, taking on board suggestions by the Ombudsman and NGOs. Anonymous referrals had been introduced for any suspicion of such violence. Welfare protection, counselling and health services were offered to the victims, including migrants.

Missing persons was a humanitarian issue that affected both the Turkish and Greek community. The Committee on Missing Persons in Cyprus was established under the auspices of the United Nations Secretary-General to deal with the issue and was composed of one Greek Cypriot, one Turkish Cypriot and one neutral member nominated by the International Committee of the Red Cross and appointed by the Secretary-General. Their mandate was only to identify the remains of missing persons. As of September 2014, the fate of 1,175 Greek Cypriots was still unknown, whereas the fate of 174 Turkish Cypriots was still undetermined. The Government of the Republic of Cyprus made available all archives about missing persons in the south of the island. However, the archives of the Turkish military since 1974 had not been made available.

Responding to the observation that there were no judges of Turkish origin in the courts of Cyprus, the Head of Delegation explained that the 1960 Constitution of Cyprus provided for a ratio of 70-30 of Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots participation in the Executive, Legislature and Judiciary, respectively. Since 1964, Turkish Cypriot members had withdrawn from the administration. The State, consequently, started functioning with an administration composed only of Greeks. However, with increased activity of civil society organizations, especially of women, perhaps the situation would change and bring the two communities together.

An increasing number of women occupied high posts in the public sector, including the Judiciary, due to the fact that the education level of women was the same as that of men. However, there was still a lot of work to be done. The National Action Plan on Gender Equality took into consideration all the recommendations of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women.

The financial crisis had put the female workforce at a particular disadvantage, since many women were in precarious employment, unskilled or low-skilled occupations or work part-time. Acting for gender equality, and particularly for reducing the gender pay gap, was very challenging under these circumstances. However, the Government was still implementing a project, co-financed by the European Union, to address that inequality by targeting the root causes. Furthermore a gender equality committee had been established to suggest projects, provide statistical data, receive relevant complaints and encourage dialogue between employers and employees.

Detention of illegal migrants was used as a measure of last resort for short periods of time, and only when no other measure was available. Those measures were clearly regulated by the Aliens and Immigration Law, and the Refugee Law, explained a delegate. Illegal immigrants also had the right to leave voluntarily. Prior to the issuing of a deportation order, the person concerned was always given an option to depart voluntarily within a reasonable timeframe, depending on the individualities of each case (children in school, medical conditions, other humanitarian reasons etc.) They always informed in writing. No person could be held in detention longer than 18 months and the Ministry of Interior reviewed all detention cases every two months.

All return decisions were made in accordance with the principle of non-refoulement and in line with the 1951 Geneva Conventions and other relevant international instruments. Persons had the right to challenge the return decision at the Supreme Court.

Concerning the detention of mothers or single parents and the possible separation of children, the best interest of the child was always considered. In this context, a Ministerial Committee decided that the parent was not put in detention, but was given a letter by the authorities setting a date of voluntary departure. In the case of parents of minors, when both were detected to reside illegally in Cyprus, a Ministerial Committee decided in April 2014 that the parent was not put in detention, but was given a letter by the authorities setting a date of voluntary departure. Until that date, the parent was allowed to reside with his/her child, subject to certain terms (e.g. report to the local district Police once a month, hand in their passports etc). No return order was issued against Syrian nationals, clarified a delegate, noting that all Syrians who held valid documents could apply for either a residence and work permit or submit an application for international protection. An amendment to the Refugee Law was made to allow for family reunion of recognized refugees. Currently, there were around 100 migrants in detention awaiting their return.

The capacity of Menoyia Detention Centre was 256 and it was never overcrowded. The material conditions complied with the international standards. Since its operation in 2013, the maximum number of detainees held in Menoyia was no more than 200 detainees. The incidence of the use of tear gas at Menoyia was investigated by the Ombudsperson who concluded that the police used a proportional amount of force. As for the ill treatment of immigrants at Menoyia, relevant recommendations were issued and the police was aware of them. The Government conducted a zero tolerance policy on the use of torture, ill treatment and forms of cruel or unusual punishment by law enforcement authorities, and there was a website where citizens could submit complaints.

To investigate complaints against police the Government had established an independent authority board. It investigated cases of corruption, bribery and unlawful enrichment, and excessive use of force. Investigators were appointed by the Attorney General but their findings were not binding for the Independent Authority Board. The cases were forwarded to the Attorney General and the Independent Authority Board could not in any way interfere in those proceedings.

Considerable restructuring of prison management and policies was under way and prison capacity had been increased over the last two years to reduce overcrowding in prisons. Electronic monitoring had been extended to more inmates and would be applied for longer periods of time. The deaths and suicides had been reduced due to the new human based approach, the measures that they had taken and the new policies/procedures introduced. As from October 2014 there had been no attempts of self-harm, including suicides. For the first time, there had been prison staff who had been dismissed for cases of ill treatment, noted a delegate. The reforms were assessed by the Ombudsperson and key stakeholders were consulted. Solitary confinement was no longer left to the discretion of prison officials. Confinement of inmates would be soon amended in line with the international standards for the protection of inmates. Prisons were monitored for signs of the use of torture and corruption, open visits to inmates had been introduced, and child friendly environments had been made available to inmates who had children.

Follow-up Questions by the Experts

An Expert enquired to what extent civil society organizations had participated in the preparation of the report. Another Expert asked whether there were any Turkish members in the police force and whether there was any plan to recruit them.

Responses by the Delegation

The report was based on the information provided by the Government Department as well as monitoring bodies, such as the Office of Ombudsperson and the Office of the Commissioner of Children’s Rights, said the Head of Delegation, adding that the Government was very careful to take into account the views of the monitoring bodies so as to compile an objective report. It did not just reproduce information as provided by government units.

Concerning the percentage of Turkish Cypriots in the administration, the Constitution specified the participation of members of both Communities in the administration by a 70 to 30 per cent ratio. Turkish Cypriots withdrew from the administration after 1964, which was why only Greek Cypriots occupied administrative posts. Children of internally displaced mothers now had the same right to access to benefits as children of internally displaced fathers. As to electoral rights, children of internally displaced mothers were registered in the electoral list of their residential address, whereas, children of internally displaced fathers were registered in their fathers’ place of displacement.

The restoration of fundamental human rights and freedoms was the essence of the bi-communal negotiations. Cyprus had the largest number of internally displaced persons globally, as a result of the Turkish invasion in 1974 and subsequent occupation of more than a third of the island’s territory. Any negotiated solution would thus go a long way towards restoring most human rights violations. In the framework of those negotiations, a number of technical committees were created to deal with issues that affected daily life of the people. For example, a technical committee on humanitarian issues was set up, and it also dealt with the elimination of discrimination against women and domestic violence.

Women had extensively participated in the Cyprus peace process since the very early stages and throughout. In the framework of intercommunal talks, women played an important role as members of the negotiating structures. They also played an important role outside those negotiations, in facilitating people’s everyday lives. Overall, their participation was above 30 per cent. The Government encouraged non-governmental organizations to mainstream gender in the negotiations and implementation of the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325.

As for concerns raised about racially motivated incidents or attacks against Turkish Cypriots in the area that was controlled by the Government, a delegate disagreed with the Committee that the frequency of attacks was on the rise and alarming and emphasized that they were ‘single digit’ occurrences.

The criteria for granting citizenship were clearly defined in the national law and were the same for Greek and Turkish Cypriots. The procedure of granting citizenship was chronological, unless there were humanitarian reasons to accelerate it. There were a substantial number of successful cases in which people of South Asian origin had been granted citizenship.

Responding to questions about measures to combat torture, a delegate specified that alleged or suspected victims of torture had to be referred to a doctor for a medical examination. The person would subsequently be referred to a psychologist or other expert for further examination and/or treatment, if deemed appropriate. Doctors received regular training on the identification and examination of possible victims, as did officers in various departments of the Government who may be in contact with victims of torture. The definition of “torture” was same as the definition in the Istanbul Protocol and other relevant treaties. With full respect to the principle of non-refoulement, no person was returned to a country where he or she could be subjected to torture.

Asylum seekers had the right to free legal assistance in both first and second instance of the examination of the application for international protection. They were informed about this possibility through a leaflet that was provided to them with the submission of their application. Furthermore, there were also a large number of non-governmental organizations that offered legal advice to asylum seekers. In respect of the principle of non-refoulement the Government did not return refugees and asylum seekers to their country of origin.

Questions by Experts

According to the national laws on domestic and agricultural workers, they had the right to report forced labour and sexual exploitation. An Expert wondered how many complaints were received, and how many civil servants worked for the relevant inspecting body. What countries did foreign workers come from, and were domestic workers allowed to form labour unions?

How many shelters were created for sexually exploited women and how long did women stay in the shelters. How many exploited children were there, asked an Expert, noting that there was no programme to track exploited persons who sought asylum.
Concerning freedom of religion a delegate cited reports that there were hundreds of mosques where believers could not go except on Fridays. It was reported that some 30 mosques were destroyed, and only three Muslim cemeteries could be used for burial. In addition, there were stores selling alcohol located near certain mosques.

There had been reports indicating that Turkish Cypriots were not able to stand for election, or to vote. The lack of participation was due to an amendment introduced on European elections. Turkish Cypriots had to present a form issued by the Ministry of Interior that required them to write down their residence, which was outside the control of the Cypriot Government. That amounted to discrimination, said an Expert, asking the delegation to comment.

An Expert asked whether the current number of crossing points in Cyprus was adequate and whether the Committee on Crossing Points had met recently. He raised concern about the policy of recognition of drivers’ licences issued in the north, and about limited visits to Muslim religious sites in the south. He enquired about the exemption from religious classes in schools, and about performing of confessions in schools, a practice that had been recommended to be stopped. How did the Government reconcile the restrictions on the movement of the Turkish community from the north with the Covenant’s principle of freedom of movement and religion? What were the measures to provide religious education for Muslims in the southern part of the island?

The delegation was invited to explain how the Committee’s recommendations would be implemented. Since civil society organizations were only indirectly contacted before the preparation of the report, the Committee invited the Government to involve civil society more directly in that process, as well as to provide translation of relevant documents in Turkish.

Asking about juvenile justice an Expert commented that the treatment of minors between 14 and 16 years of age and those between 16 and 18 years seemed to be different, and that there was no specialized court for minors. He asked for statistics on the number of offences committed by minors and which offences carried a prison sentence for minors.

An Expert asked about the status of small religious and ethnic minority groups in Cyprus, such as the Buddhists, Jewish, Protestant Christians and Roma. The Committee had been told that the Roma were not considered a separate community, but as part of the Turkish community. She enquired about the removal of linguistic and cultural barriers for Turkish Cypriots and other minorities, and about the establishment of a Turkish school in Limassol.

Responses by Delegation

The Permanent Representative of Cyprus responded to some political questions raised by the Committee in relation to violations stemming from the division of the island. The source of the problem was not the Government’s approach but the military occupation of the north of the island. He emphasized that the Government tried to implement human rights for all citizens, except in the occupied territory it was unable to implement its policies because it lacked effective control. Referring to Experts’ concerns raised about freedom of religion in Cyprus, he said that the authorities of the Republic of Cyprus had excellent cooperation with Special Rapporteur Bielefeldt and noted that there was an issue with regard to churches in the north of the island, which had not been mentioned by the Committee. Restoration of mosques in the territory controlled by the Government was taking place. He emphasized that the crossing points were in the ceasefire line, which was still controlled by the Turkish army. Accordingly, the opening of new crossing points was not something that could be arranged with the Turkish Cypriot Community, but with the Turkish army. He reminded the Committee that President Anastassiades had decided to temporarily suspend his participation in the negotiations following last year’s military intervention in Cyprus’ Exclusive Economic Zone by Turkey. As for the freedom of movement, he stressed that illegal entry into the territory of Cyprus was the problem and that no discrimination was made with regard to nationality. A visa could be issued to anyone wishing to visit a religious site. However, the Government could not permit entry to settlers who had arrived on the island illegally into the controlled area of Cyprus.

The Head of Delegation said that the Government had proposed the opening of new crossing points but the proposal was rejected by the Turkish Cypriot leadership. As for the acceptance of drivers’ licences for persons residing in the northern part of the island, upon Cyprus’ accession to the European Union, special European Union legislative measures were introduced to regulate the free movement of people and goods across the dividing line. Persons entering from the northern part of the island to the Government-controlled territory needed to show documents in compliance with European Union requirements. However, the Turkish Cypriot authorities discouraged people from obtaining the necessary documents. Some basic articles of the Constitution relating to the two communities could not be changed until a political solution was found. There was a problem with the smaller religious minorities, but it was up to political leaders to expedite the situation.

A delegate explained that a new law came into force in April 2014 relating to trafficking, in order to better implement international instrument on the subject. It provided greater focus on the identification of victims and the prosecution of perpetrators and offered more support to victims. It also provided the setting up of a compensation fund to better address their needs. It also contained special provisions for their protection of child victims. The new law allowed victims of trafficking to stay in Cyprus, if they so wished. In addition, a new action plan had been launched to combat trafficking. Training sessions and awareness raising campaigns had been organized for officers in various services. In particular, officers in the Asylum Service were trained in order to adequately deal with the particular needs of victims, during the examination of their application.

Concerning religious education in schools, parents/children had the right to request exception but in that case the Commissioner for Children’s Rights had recommended that children had to be assigned alternative classes. The Commissioner for Children’s Rights had also recommended that schools were not an appropriate place for religious confessions. As for schools for minorities, as under the general law on education, all students had to go to a school in their own locality, it was a consequence that ethnic minority children were found in schools in the locality where they reside. The Roma community was nomadic and therefore had no fixed residence.

On juvenile justice the Head of Delegation explained that new legislation had been drafted by the Children’s Commissioner in compliance with all relevant international standards, and consultations on the draft would start soon. Committees comprising of specialists on children’s issues would be dealing with measures alternative to deprivation of liberty, such as, community work. The establishment of a proper juvenile court with properly trained judges was envisaged. As to the number of offences committed by minors, 18 cases for minors under 16 years of age were reported for the year 2014 which were still under investigation.

Complaints on violations of terms and conditions of employment were recorded by labour investigation officers in writing, in English and Greek, and sent to the Immigration Department for a decision. During 2014, 962 complaints were filed, out of which 234 complaints ended in a release agreement, and 21 complaints were resolved by the employee choosing to go back to the employer. Mixed inspection units were established to handle various branches of employment. In 2014, 34,68 per cent of the undeclared workers found during inspections were Cypriots, 50 per cent were EU nationals and 15,14 per cent were non-EU nationals.

Domestic workers could now register with any trade union, and the Government was currently revising the criteria for the employment of domestic workers.

All Greek and Turkish Cypriots residing in the area controlled by the Government needed to apply to be included in the electoral list. For persons residing in the occupied area, the national law was amended in order for them to be automatically included in the electoral list.

Turkish Cypriots were recruited into the police force if they met relevant requirements.

Follow-up Questions by the Experts

Returning to the question of employment of Turkish Cypriots in the civil service, an Expert noted that the Government needed to integrate more minorities into the administration. He observed that the Greek proficiency test was strict and those language challenges made it difficult for minorities to join the civil service. He also observed that Turkish was considered an official language in Cyprus, but entry examinations were offered in Greek. Was the Government aware of the language barrier and was it ready to allow easier access for Turkish Cypriots? Another Expert wondered whether the education of the Roma children was more problematic because of their frequent migration from one community to another. An Expert returned the question of driving licences, asking for more information.

Responses by the Delegation

The Head of Delegation clarified that, Cyprus was implementing European Union regulations with respect to driving licences, and thus required European Union documents and other valid documentation for people entering from the north. The civil service was open to everyone, including all minorities and Turkish Cypriots. Any person who passed the entry test would be recruited. Only Greek language was used as the official language because of the lack of Turkish staff in the administration, she repeated.
The Roma population was nomadic but nevertheless there had been conscious efforts by the Government to see that Roma children attended school. Schooling of children up to the age of 16 was compulsory in Cyprus. Public schools were free for all children in Cyprus, but for Turkish Cypriot children, the Government paid their tuition fees in private schools in the Government controlled area. There were schools for ethnic minorities (Armenian, Latins and Maronites) which the Government subsidized. As for the access to mosques in the Government controlled areas, that issue was regulated by the Muslim community, noted a delegate.

Concluding Remarks

LEDA KOURSOUMBA, Law Commissioner of Cyprus, thanked the Committee for the constructive dialogue, noting that their comments would be submitted to the Council of Ministers, which would then pass them on to relevant Ministries. Respect for human rights was a top priority for the Government of Cyprus which would continue to promote and enhance human rights for all citizens of Cyprus.

FABIAN OMAR SALVIOLI, Chairperson of the Committee, stressed that the principle of non-discrimination was a cornerstone of international human rights law. The State had to ensure that the principle was respected through public policies. The Government needed to prioritize the issue of displacement and make efforts to resolve the historic cases of disappearances. Cyprus could perhaps look into extending the mandate of the Committee on Missing Persons, as its mandate was too limited. The State had to respect the rights of detained persons and give assurances to those who were more vulnerable because they were migrants. The Committee also urged the State party to look into the guidelines on the freedom of expression.

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