I like to point out to other correspondants that the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus is NOT in the EU and uses the Turkish Lira while the south is in the EU and uses the Euro. In a recent referendum the majority of Turkish Cypriots voted for reunification and EU membership but that was rejected by the electorate in the south. There is no reason why Northern Cyprus shouldn’t be a member of the EU, except for it’s laws on Homosexuality. We already have a divided island where both sides are in the EU. It is called Ireland. Please wake up Northern Cyprus and allow certain things to happen behind closed doors in the privacy of peoples homes!
“Turkish Cypriots voted for reunification and EU membership but that was rejected by the electorate in the south” Does that mean that Turkey is content for Northern Cyprus to revert to being under democratic majority rule in Cyprus? Would there be restitution of lands etc stolen in the invasion?
It is a little hard to blame still the British colonial power for the homophobic legislation. Cyprus was independent for some time before Northern Cyprus was invaded and seized, so both under independent Cyprus and under the following illegal and unrecognised regime there were opportunities to reform the law as Britain did.
It is highly unlikely that Turkey itself will gain EU membership in the near future due to opposition from the likes of France and Germany so Turkey would no doubt like it’s part of Cyprus to become part of the EU in order to gain access to the European markets. Unfortunately seeing the way that the Euro is going and countries tightening up their borders I feel that the European Union should be replaced by EFTA, the European Free Trade Association. The European Court of Human Rights is a separate organisation that is not run by the EU and has jurisdiction in many non-EU countries. Northern Cyprus is not recognised by any country in the world except Turkey so the ECHR will not have jurisdiction there although they could pressure the occupying country, Turkey to impose new legislation in the same way that the ECHR could have forced the UK government to impose legislation on the Isle of Man when they still criminalised homosexuality.
The reason why the north of the island has little or nothing to do with its current laws on homosexuality, and everything to do with the intransigence of the [southern] ‘Republic of Cyprus’ – if the southerners had voted for reunification, as the north did, this issue of outdated homosexuality laws would simply not have arisen. I certainly don’t condone the current laws in the north, but nor do I ignore the part that the Republic of Cyprus (and its ally Greece) has played in this mess – and we all know how useless the Greeks have been at managing their own country and its finances. I haven;t heard, by the way, that Turkey is on the ropes financially!
Who cares in Cyprus about bunch of homosexuals with their idiotic demand to remove the right law? There shall be opposite call – make law more tough for homosexuals in Cyprus!
Of course if the law were working properly there, the burden should fall on the prosecution to define what ‘unnatural intercourse’ means – and put forward a definition of the word ‘natural’ (that sounds like yet another overhang from the British Empire no?)
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I like to point out to other correspondants that the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus is NOT in the EU and uses the Turkish Lira while the south is in the EU and uses the Euro. In a recent referendum the majority of Turkish Cypriots voted for reunification and EU membership but that was rejected by the electorate in the south. There is no reason why Northern Cyprus shouldn’t be a member of the EU, except for it’s laws on Homosexuality. We already have a divided island where both sides are in the EU. It is called Ireland. Please wake up Northern Cyprus and allow certain things to happen behind closed doors in the privacy of peoples homes!
“Turkish Cypriots voted for reunification and EU membership but that was rejected by the electorate in the south” Does that mean that Turkey is content for Northern Cyprus to revert to being under democratic majority rule in Cyprus? Would there be restitution of lands etc stolen in the invasion?
It is a little hard to blame still the British colonial power for the homophobic legislation. Cyprus was independent for some time before Northern Cyprus was invaded and seized, so both under independent Cyprus and under the following illegal and unrecognised regime there were opportunities to reform the law as Britain did.
Is the position in the rest of Cyprus any better?
It is highly unlikely that Turkey itself will gain EU membership in the near future due to opposition from the likes of France and Germany so Turkey would no doubt like it’s part of Cyprus to become part of the EU in order to gain access to the European markets. Unfortunately seeing the way that the Euro is going and countries tightening up their borders I feel that the European Union should be replaced by EFTA, the European Free Trade Association. The European Court of Human Rights is a separate organisation that is not run by the EU and has jurisdiction in many non-EU countries. Northern Cyprus is not recognised by any country in the world except Turkey so the ECHR will not have jurisdiction there although they could pressure the occupying country, Turkey to impose new legislation in the same way that the ECHR could have forced the UK government to impose legislation on the Isle of Man when they still criminalised homosexuality.
Turkey needs to get its army out of North Cyprus before reunificaton will be possible.
What is bizarre is that homosexuality is legal in Turkey, yet still a crime in North Cyprus.
North Cyprus is trying to remould itself as a popular tourist destination (like South Cyprus is).
It should be utterly avoided while this monstrous law remains on the books.
And I would like to reiterate what I wrote yesterday in a comment in an earlier thread that the whole of the island of Cyprus IS in the EU. The relevant page in the European Commission website is here:
http://ec.europa.eu/enlargement/turkish_cypriot_community/index_en.htm
The reason why the north of the island has little or nothing to do with its current laws on homosexuality, and everything to do with the intransigence of the [southern] ‘Republic of Cyprus’ – if the southerners had voted for reunification, as the north did, this issue of outdated homosexuality laws would simply not have arisen. I certainly don’t condone the current laws in the north, but nor do I ignore the part that the Republic of Cyprus (and its ally Greece) has played in this mess – and we all know how useless the Greeks have been at managing their own country and its finances. I haven;t heard, by the way, that Turkey is on the ropes financially!
And neither is Cyprus.
I wonder if you would want reunification with someone who had desecrated your family’s graves.
It’s been too long coming so it’s time they sorted this piece of discriminating, once and for all.
Who cares in Cyprus about bunch of homosexuals with their idiotic demand to remove the right law? There shall be opposite call – make law more tough for homosexuals in Cyprus!
Take that dildo out of your ass… Maybe then understand you better.
How bout instead we all make ‘more tough for’ Rich(unoriginal) in Pink News by reporting him for his homophobic rants……
I’m still confused as to why he would spend so much time on a gay website – unless he’s a closet case (which is very likely)
Of course if the law were working properly there, the burden should fall on the prosecution to define what ‘unnatural intercourse’ means – and put forward a definition of the word ‘natural’ (that sounds like yet another overhang from the British Empire no?)