A court in occupied Cyprus continued hearings today for two Greek Cypriots charged with violating personal data and privacy laws, part of a wider case involving five people arrested in July, according to the Cyprus News Agency.
The so-called provincial court in occupied Trikomo heard from two witnesses on Monday who said their property information ended up in third parties’ hands without their consent. They told the court this worried them and prompted them to file complaints.
Prosecutors asked to adjourn for another witness, which the court granted. The hearing resumed today at 1:30pm, with another witness summoned to testify on 12 November at 11:30am.
The five Greek Cypriots—three men aged 68, 66 and 60, and two women aged 63 and 60—were arrested on 19 July near occupied Trikomo. Authorities in the north claim they were gathering information about property developments and found maps, title deeds and lists of construction company directors in their possession.
The arrests came days before the 51st anniversary of Turkey’s 1974 invasion of Cyprus and are widely seen as retaliation for the Republic of Cyprus prosecuting developers and investors who build on Greek Cypriot-owned land in the occupied north.
Four Turkish Cypriots have filed privacy complaints, claiming their personal data appeared in documents the group allegedly collected. Two of the five also face military court charges for entering the north without proper passport checks at the Strovilia crossing point.
The European Parliament in September condemned the detentions and called on Turkey to respect human rights. Three of the five were released on bail after diplomatic pressure, whilst two remain in custody.
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