Solyalı: Human Rights Violations of Children from Mixed Marriages Being Ignored

Solyalı criticized the political motivations behind denying citizenship and other rights to children of mixed marriages, describing the situation as a severe human rights violation.

Speaking about the victimization of children born from mixed marriages, Solyalı said their right to “Cypriot Republic” citizenship, granted by law, has been politically held hostage, and he criticized the Greek Cypriot administration for this. He stressed that the issue should be on the agenda of the Presidency and that it needs to be followed up at the presidential level.

According to Solyalı, the Republic of Cyprus is violating international law by preventing the citizenship rights of children born from mixed marriages in breach of EU agreements. He also mentioned that a new court decision was recently made in South Cyprus, although it was not directly related to citizenship, but rather about the administration's obligation to provide a response within a reasonable time frame.

“These children are deprived of basic rights such as the right to work and study and cannot benefit from economic opportunities. However, the government has not taken any steps to resolve this issue,” Solyalı stated, adding that the issue has only been raised through the efforts of civil society organizations.

Solyalı pointed out that the Presidency has remained silent on this matter, stating, “The Presidency is not doing its part. It is the responsibility of the Presidency to bring up and resolve these issues on the international platform.”

Referring to the fact that citizenship in the South is given based on descent, Solyalı noted that if either parent is a "Cypriot Republic" citizen, their child automatically holds citizenship. He argued that the Presidency's silence on this matter is unacceptable.

Solyalı concluded by stating that the issue of mixed marriages should be raised during the expected leaders’ meeting on January 20 and that the Presidency must take action on the matter.