The European Court of Human Rights rejects Archbishop Chrysostomos II property case

The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has rejected Archbishop Chrysostomos II’s property case against Turkey, confirming that he should apply to the Turkish Cypriot Immovable Property Commission instead.

The ECHR also rejected the Archbishop’s claim that he represented all parishioners.

“The Court observes … that he has neither included a list of the names of those concerned, nor any letters of authority which state that these persons authorise him to act on their behalf… It also appears that the title deeds submitted with the application in many cases identify individual local churches and religious bodies as owning the property without reference to the applicant or his Church.”

“It has found that domestic remedies in this regard have not been exhausted before the IPC which is able both to order restitution of property and to award pecuniary and non-pecuniary damages in respect of any loss of enjoyment of the property. In the circumstances therefore, this part of the application raises no separate issue.”

The application was unanimously declared inadmissible.

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