The paradoxes of Cyprus’s criminal code are endless. Another example—which even made its way to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR)—highlights the problematic and outdated laws of the Republic of Cyprus, inherited from the colonial era.
The ECHR upheld an appeal against the Republic of Cyprus, as revealed by the Greek media outlet Proto Thema, on the grounds that it maintains anachronistic provisions that violate the European Convention on Human Rights. This is because a law criminalizes the participation of female singers in Muslim weddings, legally equating female artists who work at such events with prostitutes. The penalties prescribed range from fines to imprisonment.
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The wedding was canceled
It all began when a Muslim father, who was planning to marry off his daughter at his home in Larnaca, hired a dancer and singer as part of the celebrations. An acquaintance of the bride’s father he informed him—as mentioned in the article—about Cypriot law and that if he went ahead with this, he would be committing a criminal offense. Ultimately, he decided to cancel the wedding, although there had been consideration of holding the ceremony in another country.
It should be noted that he is a citizen of the Republic of Cyprus who was born in 1977 in the occupied village of Tziaos in the Famagusta district, married to a woman from the Kotsiatis community, and they have lived permanently in Larnaca since 2000 with their four children.
Through his attorneys and following the annulment of the marriage, the man filed a lawsuit against the Republic of Cyprus, for violating Article 8 of the Convention, which protects private and family life. He also cited Article 14 of the same Convention, which prohibits discrimination, in this case on the basis of religion. The application has been declared admissible by the ECHR, and a ruling is now pending.
See the report by Nasia Ioannou:
