The European Court of Human Rights Framework of the Property Issue in Cyprus: An Evaluation of the Immovable Property Commission

Abstract

Despite being physically divided in 1974, no peace agreement has been made in Cyprus since then. Amongst the issues awaiting solution, perhaps the most difficult one is the property issue. Problems related to property rights have been brought to the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) on several occasions. This study focuses on the Immovable Property Commission (IPC), which was established in accordance with the jurisprudence of the ECtHR. In a frozen conflict environment, the ECtHR, although not a transitional justice mechanism for resolving human rights violations in armed conflicts, occasionally plays an effective role in pressuring national authorities to repair the destructive effects of conflict periods. This study assesses the effectiveness of the IPC’s role in addressing property issues in general and within this specific context.

Keywords

Cyprus Conflict, Transitional Justice, Displaced Ownership, Peace Process, Compensation Schemes

Citation

Perçem Arman and Özde Bayraktar, “The European Court of Human Rights Framework of the Property Issue in Cyprus: An Evaluation of the Immovable Property Commission”, Uluslararası İlişkiler, Advanced Online Publication, 23 January 2026, pp. 1–16. DOI: 10.33458/uidergisi.

Affiliations

Perçem ARMAN Associate Professor, Department of Law, Near East University, Lefkoşa E-Mail: [email protected] Orcid: 0000-0003-1622-3009

Özde BAYRAKTAR Assistant Professor, Department of Law, Near East University, Lefkoşa E-Mail: [email protected] Orcid: 0000-0002-8729-3613