Hakkı: Five Clients Affected by Mixed Marriages Granted Citizenship in the Past Year

The claims to Republic of Cyprus citizenship and EU passports by children born to marriages between Turkish Cypriots eligible for Republic of Cyprus passports and people of Turkish origin who settled in northern Cyprus after the 1974 Peace Operation on July 20, 1974, remain a subject of public debate.

Following an information campaign launched by the Cyprus Turkish Teachers’ Trade Union (KTÖS) in 2018, the issue began to be taken to the Greek Cypriot courts as part of efforts to exhaust domestic legal remedies.

MURAT METİN HAKKI SAYS CITIZENSHIP RIGHTS OF SOME CLIENTS ARE BEGINNING TO BE RECOGNISED

In a statement, lawyer Murat Metin Hakkı said the citizenship rights of some clients who had pursued legal action were beginning to be recognised.

He said lawsuits over “administrative omissions” concerning applications that had remained unanswered for years began to be won in 2022. Greek Cypriot courts, he added, had ruled that failure to decide on applications within a reasonable period constituted a violation of the law.

Hakkı went on to explain that, following the courts’ findings of violations, administrative authorities began issuing official responses. Where those responses were negative, second administrative lawsuits were filed to challenge whether the rejection decisions complied with international treaties incorporated into domestic law.

“FIVE CLIENTS OBTAINED CITIZENSHIP RIGHTS THROUGH THIS PROCESS IN THE PAST YEAR”

According to information provided by Hakkı, the Greek Cypriot Attorney General’s Office sought settlements in some cases that were the subject of second lawsuits. The files of applicants meeting the “limited criteria” announced in 2007 were subsequently forwarded to the Greek Cypriot Council of Ministers for approval.

Hakkı said five of his clients had obtained citizenship rights through this process over the past year. Most recently, he was informed in an official letter dated October 7, 2026, that the rights of two siblings, identified as K.A. and Z.T.A., had been approved.

Hakkı stressed that a political settlement on the island or a ruling by the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) on the issue would be necessary to resolve the matter definitively, as it affects tens of thousands of people.

Acknowledging that the domestic legal process was lengthy, he said he remained convinced that persistent follow-up and a determined legal struggle would eventually produce results.

According to Hakkı, none of the administrative omission cases he filed in 2018 has yet reached the Supreme Court of Cyprus.