EUROPEAN COURT FINDS TURKEY GUILTY OF MURDER OF TWO CYPRIOTS
PanARMENIAN.Net
25.06.2008 19:23 GMT+04:00
The Cyprus Action Network of America (CANA) applauded the decision
by the European Court of Human Rights, which found Turkey guilty in
the two cases of Cypriot demonstrators murdered in 1996, the CANA
told PanARMENIAN.Net.
"The murderers … must pay for their crimes! We cannot forget! We will
not forget! Justice for Issak and Solomou! Justice for Cyprus!" the
CANA statement says.
Anastasios Isaak was lynched by a mob of Turkish soldiers and Turkish
Cypriot "policemen" and other Turkish and Turkish Cypriot extremists
belonging to a nationalist group called "Grey Wolves". It happened
in the buffer zone separating the Turkish army occupied northern part
of Cyprus from the southern part of the island.
Solomos Solomou was shot dead at short range, by Turkish soldiers
when he attempted to climb up a Turkish flag pole in the buffer zone.
The Court unanimously ruled that Ankara is guilty of violating
Article 2 (right to life) of the European Convention on Human Rights
in respect of the killing of Anastasios Isaak and Solomos Solomou.
The Court also ruled that Turkey is guilty of violating Article 2
in respect of the failure to conduct ineffective investigation into
the circumstances in which Anastasios Isaak and Solomos Solomou
were killed.
Under Article 41 (just satisfaction) of the Convention, the Court
awarded 80,000 euro to Anastasios Isaak’s widow for pecuniary
damage. In respect of non-pecuniary damage, the Court awarded 35,000
euro each to Anastasios Isaak’s widow, his parents, and to Solomos
Solomou’s father, and also 15,000 euro to each of Anastasios Isaak’s
and Solomos Solomou’s siblings. The applicants in both cases were
also awarded 12,000 for costs and expenses.
The two applications were filed to the Court by the families of Tasos
Isaak and Solomou Solomou, both of whom were murdered by Turkish or
Turkish Cypriots during demonstrations in 1996.