Appeal Rejected in Eda Akkor Case: New Legal Battle to Begin at the European Court of Human Rights

The case, emblematic of the broader plight of Turkish Cypriots seeking equal citizenship rights, challenged the Republic of Cyprus' long-standing refusal to grant citizenship to children born to Turkish Cypriot parents and third-country nationals. The rejection of the appeal signals the exhaustion of domestic legal remedies.

KTÖS Secretary General: "Our New Route Is the ECHR"

Burak Maviş, Secretary General of the Cyprus Turkish Teachers’ Union (KTÖS), which has been at the forefront of the legal and moral support for the case, announced that the fight for equal citizenship and children's rights will now continue in Strasbourg.

“This situation, stemming from the arbitrary and discriminatory practices of the Republic of Cyprus, renders our own children foreigners in their homeland,” Maviş stated.

“This is not just an individual pursuit of justice. It is also a collective defence of the Turkish Cypriot community’s future and its right to equal citizenship.”

Maviş reaffirmed the commitment to resist cultural impositions in the north while simultaneously pursuing justice and equality in the south. He noted that the union would provide further details on the legal roadmap once the court’s reasoned decision is made available.

Ürün Solyalı: “A New Chapter After a 10-Year Struggle”

Republican Turkish Party (CTP) MP Ürün Solyalı also commented on the development, describing it as both a setback and a new beginning. He confirmed that the ruling was delivered in Greek and that the full reasoned judgment is still pending.

“Although the outcome appears negative, we’ve reached an unprecedented point. After ten years, domestic legal avenues have been exhausted and the case is now eligible for referral to the European Court of Human Rights,” Solyalı stated.

He emphasized that the transition to an international court would allow the matter to be assessed within the framework of universal human rights, free from domestic political interference.

“This Is a Political Issue”

Solyalı criticised the Republic of Cyprus for framing the matter purely as a question of sovereignty. “Even if the Republic exercises sovereign authority, that sovereignty also includes the Turkish Cypriot side. This is fundamentally a political issue—not one that courts are equipped to resolve.”

He further argued that the denial of citizenship by birth violates both constitutional norms and basic human rights.

Both Maviş and Solyalı stressed that the struggle will now continue on the international legal stage, where the principles of equality, non-discrimination, and human dignity will be at the centre of the case.