Church of Cyprus to file application against Turkey at ECHR

The Church of Cyprus will resort to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) for the destruction of 522 churches in the Turkish occupied areas of Cyprus.

According to a press release, issued here by the Church of Cyprus, at the initiative of Archbishop Chrysostomos II, the Church is prepared to take Turkey to the European Court on account of the continuing destruction of 522 churches in the northern Turkish occupied areas of the country.

The Church will also highlight the need to safeguard Cyprus’ religious and cultural heritage, much of which has been pillaged or destroyed since the 1974 Turkish invasion of the island.

“This resort to the ECHR is necessary due to the fact that Turkey continues consciously to destroy the churches in our island and refuses to cooperate for the reconstruction and repair of all monuments which have suffered barbaric alterations”, the press release says.

The Church of Cyprus notes that “a lot of churches have been converted into stables, stores, hen-houses, night clubs, libraries, cultural centers, morgues, mosques and military camps”, since the Turkish invasion against Cyprus in 1974.