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Cyprus RightsThe Republic of Cyprus claims the whole island, and owes every right that claim implies to every Cypriot. Cyprus Rights documents where that duty goes unmet for Turkish Cypriots — with sources.

Language · Law and official text

Laws issued in Turkish

Report card / Language / Law and official text

Withheld10/100

The Constitution requires that acts be published in the Official Gazette in both official languages (Article 3(2) and 3(5)). In 1964 the Supreme Court accepted Greek-only promulgation under the doctrine of necessity; the 1988 Official Languages Law reaffirmed bilingual publication. The Council of Europe Advisory Committee in 2025 recorded that Gazette publication in Turkish still depends on that doctrine. Whether current issues appear in Turkish has not been audited series by series, and the Gazette site could not be reached when Cyprus Rights checked it. The legal duty is unrepealed; the current practice is insufficiently documented.12345

Basis and sources

Legal anchor Article 3 of the 1960 Constitution (legislative, administrative and judicial acts to be drawn up in both official languages)

Sources for this criterion

  1. 1. Constitution of the Republic of Cyprus, Article 3, consolidated text (CyLII)A — primary / documentary · CyLII / Cyprus Bar Association · 2022-12-31
  2. 2. Attorney-General of the Republic v. Mustafa Ibrahim and Others (1964)A — primary / documentary · Supreme Court of Cyprus · 1964-01-01
  3. 3. Official Languages of the Republic Laws 1988–1997, Law 67/1988A — primary / documentary · Republic of Cyprus · 1988-05-27
  4. 4. Sixth Opinion on Cyprus, Advisory Committee on the Framework Convention for the Protection of National MinoritiesB — institutional / reported · Council of Europe · 2025-07-01
  5. 5. Turkish Cypriot Rights Issue Register and Legal Framework Register (Cyprus Rights reference corpus)D — open source · Cyprus Rights · 2026-08-24

Status litigated / stalledWeight 3/5Score 10

Sources

  1. Constitution of the Republic of Cyprus, Article 3, consolidated text (CyLII)A — primary / documentaryCyLII / Cyprus Bar Association · 2022-12-31The consolidated text of Article 3 of the Constitution of the Republic of Cyprus, published by CyLII / the Cyprus Bar Association.Consolidated Article 3 (to Law 67(I)/2022): official languages (3(1)); bilingual Official Gazette publication (3(2), 3(5)); language of court proceedings (3(4)); the consolidated text also carries a subparagraph permitting English in the Commercial and Admiralty Courtshttps://www.cylaw.org/nomoi/enop/ind/syntagma/section-sc939e9174-42d9-9075-3b89-3b5042c139bb.html
  2. Attorney-General of the Republic v. Mustafa Ibrahim and Others (1964)A — primary / documentarySupreme Court of Cyprus · 1964-01-01The Supreme Court of Cyprus judgment in Attorney-General of the Republic v. Mustafa Ibrahim and Others, reported at 1964 Cyprus Law Reports 195.1964 Cyprus Law Reports 195 (doctrine of necessity; non-publication in Turkish)https://www.uniset.ca/other/cs2/1964CLR195.html
  3. Official Languages of the Republic Laws 1988–1997, Law 67/1988A — primary / documentaryRepublic of Cyprus · 1988-05-27The consolidated text of the Official Languages of the Republic Laws 1988–1997, Law 67/1988, as amended through Law 79(I)/1997.Law 67/1988, as amended through 79(I)/1997https://www.cylaw.org/nomoi/enop/non-ind/1988_1_67/full.html
  4. Sixth Opinion on Cyprus, Advisory Committee on the Framework Convention for the Protection of National MinoritiesB — institutional / reportedCouncil of Europe · 2025-07-01The Sixth Opinion on Cyprus adopted by the Council of Europe's Advisory Committee on the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities.ACFC/OP/VI(2025)2, adopted 1 July 2025, paras. 84–88https://rm.coe.int/acfc-op-vi-2024-2-6th-acfc-opinion-on-cyprus-en/4880299766
  5. Turkish Cypriot Rights Issue Register and Legal Framework Register (Cyprus Rights reference corpus)D — open sourceCyprus Rights · 2026-08-24Cyprus Rights' own internal reference corpus of registers tracking Turkish Cypriot rights issues and the applicable legal framework.Cyprus Rights reference corpus, compiled 24 August 2026: internal/reference/rights-issue-register-turkish-cypriot.md and internal/reference/legal-framework-register.md. Cited for duty-bearer positions as the registers record them and for documentation-gap statements; each register entry carries its own underlying sources