Dokument #1008713
IRB – Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada (Autor)
The following information was obtained
during a 10 July 1996 telephone interview with the counsellor of
the Embassy of the Republic of Cyprus in Washington. DC. The
Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus is not recognized as a
legitimate state by the UN Security Council. The only legal state
in Cyprus is the Republic of Cyprus. An individual has the right to
automatic citizenship if his/her father or grandfather is Cypriot.
If only the mother is a Cypriot, that person can apply for
citizenship, but there is no guarantee the applicant will be
accepted.
If an individual does not have parents or a
spouse who are Cypriots, but wishes to become a citizen, he or she
must reside in the country for several years before applying for
naturalization. The counsellor stated, however, that applicants
below 21 years of age can register for citizenship right away. The
application procedure for naturalization is made through the
Ministry of the Interior.
The counsellor stressed that citizenship is
not granted to everyone, and in particular mentioned individuals
who do not enter the country legally. The counsellor also stated
that there is a growing number of illegal immigrants living in
Cyprus, and that many of them are Turkish.
The following information was obtained from
Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 1995. Under Cypriot
law, women in the Greek Cypriot community "face discrimination that
denies them the ability to pass on citizenship to their children if
they marry foreign spouses" (1996, 836). The law also permits only
Greek Cypriot males "to obtain expeditious naturalization for their
foreign spouse" (ibid.).
Country Reports 1995 also states that
Turkish Cypriots "living in the government-controlled areas face
difficulties in obtaining identification cards and other government
documents" (ibid., 836). Harassment and surveillance by the Greek
Cypriot police has also been reported. (ibid.).
For further information on citizenship,
please consult the attached copies of the 1967 Citizenship Law and
the 1969 Citizenship Regulation of the Republic of Cyprus.
This Response was prepared after
researching publicly accessible information currently available to
the DIRB within time constraints. This Response is not, and does
not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular
claim to refugee status or asylum. Below please find the list of
additional sources consulted in researching this Information
Request.
References
Country Reports on Human Rights
Practices for 1995. 1996. United States Department of State.
Washington, DC: United States Government Printing Office.
Embassy of the Republic of Cyprus,
Washington, DC. 10 July 1996. Telephone interview with
counsellor.
Additional Sources Consulted
Amnesty International Report. Yearly.
1995.
Documentation , Information and Research
Branch (DIRB), Immigration and Refugee Board, Ottawa. "Amnesty
International: Cyprus" Country File. 1989 to present.
DIRB. "Cyprus" Country File. 1979 to
present.
The Europa World Year Book 1995. 1995.
36th ed. Vol. 1. London: Europa Publications.
Attachments
Republic of Cyprus. The Republic of
Cyprus Citizenship Regulations, 10 January 1969. Appendix B9
(official translation).
_____. 1967. The Republic of Cyprus
Citizenship Law, 28 July 1967. (official translation).