LGBT rights in Northern Cyprus
Encyclopedia
Northern Cyprus criminalises male homosexuality with up to three years in prison, according to articles 171 and 173 of its criminal code. Female homosexuality is exempt. However no one has been jailed since around 2001 and there have been ongoing discussions to repeal the laws but these have not yet been adopted.
In October 2011 Marina Yannakoudakis
MEP claimed that during a visit to Northern Cyprus, the President of Northern Cyprus
Derviş Eroğlu
promised her he would legalise homosexuality to bring it within line with Turkey, Southern Cyprus
and the rest of Europe.
The laws are a legacy of British colonial rule, when the island gained independence in the 1960s. While the south decriminalised homosexuality in 1998 in order to accede to the European Union
(EU) in 2004, the north's disputed status means it lies outside the EU's jurisdiction as well as the wide European Convention on Human Rights
- both of which require decriminalisation.
In October 2011 Marina Yannakoudakis
Marina Yannakoudakis
Marina Yannakoudakis is a Conservative Party Member of the European Parliament for London first elected at the 2009 European Parliament election....
MEP claimed that during a visit to Northern Cyprus, the President of Northern Cyprus
President of Northern Cyprus
The President of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus is the head of state of the TRNC. Rauf Denktaş was the first and founder president of TRNC, and retired in 2005. His position was taken over by Mehmet Ali Talat, followed by the current president, Derviş Eroğlu.In the Turkish Republic of...
Derviş Eroğlu
Dervis Eroglu
Dr. Derviş Eroğlu is the President of the unrecognized Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. He was Prime Minister of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus from 1985 to 1994 and from 1996 to 2004, and leader of the National Unity Party. His party won the general elections in 2009 and Eroğlu...
promised her he would legalise homosexuality to bring it within line with Turkey, Southern Cyprus
Cyprus
Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...
and the rest of Europe.
The laws are a legacy of British colonial rule, when the island gained independence in the 1960s. While the south decriminalised homosexuality in 1998 in order to accede to the European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
(EU) in 2004, the north's disputed status means it lies outside the EU's jurisdiction as well as the wide European Convention on Human Rights
European Convention on Human Rights
The Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms is an international treaty to protect human rights and fundamental freedoms in Europe. Drafted in 1950 by the then newly formed Council of Europe, the convention entered into force on 3 September 1953...
- both of which require decriminalisation.
See also
- LGBT rights in Cyprus
- LGBT rights in Turkey
- Section 171 of the Criminal Code of CyprusSection 171 of the Criminal Code of CyprusSection 171 of the Criminal Code of Cyprus was a section of the Cyprus Criminal Code, which was enacted in 1929, that criminalized homosexual acts between consenting male adults...
- LGBT rights in the European UnionLGBT rights in the European UnionLGBT rights in the European Union are protected under the European Union's treaties and law. Homosexuality is legal in all EU states and discrimination in employment has been banned since 2000...