http://europenews.dk/en/node/9217Church of Cyprus to Take Legal Action Against TurkeyEmbassy of Cyprus April 10 2008
Nicosia, Apr 8 - The Church of Cyprus has decided to take legal
action against Turkey at the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR)
for the destruction of Cyprus' religious heritage in the Turkish
occupied areas of the island.
Archbishop of the Church of Cyprus Chrysostomos II has said that the
decision "is final" and added that the legal advisors of the Cypriot
Church are ready to proceed with the case.
"We have already assigned the case to our lawyers and we are in the
process of registering all properties of the Church of Cyprus all
over the island with the Land Registry", he said.
Since the 1974 Turkish invasion of Cyprus about 550 churches have
been desecrated and 15,000-20,000 icons are missing, believed to be
stolen or sold on the black market.
Some Orthodox Churches situated in the Turkish occupied areas of
Cyprus have been converted to mosques, military camps, barns,
mortuaries or silos.
