MEP pushes north Cyprus to scrap anti-gay legislation
16/04/2012
Submitted by
ILGA-Europe
Original article: http://famagusta-gazette.com/mep-...ap-antigay-legislation-p15108-69.htm
Turkish occupied northern Cyprus, where homosexual acts are illegal, is facing increased pressure to scrap antiquated laws which discriminate against the gay and lesbian community.
British Labour MEP Michael Cashman, who jointly heads the Intergroup on LGBT Rights, has been in the breakaway state-let to encourage authorities to repeal the laws.
Commentators and activists say the laws banning gay relationships are an affront to human dignity.
During his visit, Cashman met party leaders, and spoke with Turkish Cypriot leader Dervis Eroglu on the issue.
“All my interlocutors agreed local laws need updating urgently. Now the Parliament must do its work, and align the Criminal Code with binding European standards,” Cashman said in a statement released today.
He said talks focused on the need for a comprehensive review of local laws, which currently punish homosexuality with up to five years in prison.
Earlier this year the MEP said that “this outdated piece of legislation which has no place in Europe - or anywhere in the world".
Speaking to the Famagusta Gazette in October, the international gay and human rights campaigner Peter Tatchell called for its immediate abolition.
"This Turkish Cypriot law is a hang-over from the period of colonialism. It was imposed by Britain in the nineteenth century when the island was a British colony. A relic of imperialism, it is out of step with Greek and Turkish law, which no longer criminalizes homosexuality.”
Male homosexual conduct has been a crime since 1889 when Cyprus was a British colony, but the republic decriminalized the law in 1998.
"The legislation against sex between men is illegal under international human rights law. The UN human rights committee in 1994 ruled that criminalizing same-sex relations is contrary to humanitarian principles and law. These prosecutions will do great damage to the image and reputation of northern Cyprus,” Tatchell added.
Gay sex is not a crime in either Turkey or the Republic of Cyprus.
Turkish occupied northern Cyprus, where homosexual acts are illegal, is facing increased pressure to scrap antiquated laws which discriminate against the gay and lesbian community.
British Labour MEP Michael Cashman, who jointly heads the Intergroup on LGBT Rights, has been in the breakaway state-let to encourage authorities to repeal the laws.
Commentators and activists say the laws banning gay relationships are an affront to human dignity.
During his visit, Cashman met party leaders, and spoke with Turkish Cypriot leader Dervis Eroglu on the issue.
“All my interlocutors agreed local laws need updating urgently. Now the Parliament must do its work, and align the Criminal Code with binding European standards,” Cashman said in a statement released today.
He said talks focused on the need for a comprehensive review of local laws, which currently punish homosexuality with up to five years in prison.
Earlier this year the MEP said that “this outdated piece of legislation which has no place in Europe - or anywhere in the world".
Speaking to the Famagusta Gazette in October, the international gay and human rights campaigner Peter Tatchell called for its immediate abolition.
"This Turkish Cypriot law is a hang-over from the period of colonialism. It was imposed by Britain in the nineteenth century when the island was a British colony. A relic of imperialism, it is out of step with Greek and Turkish law, which no longer criminalizes homosexuality.”
Male homosexual conduct has been a crime since 1889 when Cyprus was a British colony, but the republic decriminalized the law in 1998.
"The legislation against sex between men is illegal under international human rights law. The UN human rights committee in 1994 ruled that criminalizing same-sex relations is contrary to humanitarian principles and law. These prosecutions will do great damage to the image and reputation of northern Cyprus,” Tatchell added.
Gay sex is not a crime in either Turkey or the Republic of Cyprus.
