A/HRC/34/56/Add.1 78. In particular, the conditions and procedures that must be followed in order to gain access to sites need to be clarified and publicized. That is particularly striking for ancient monuments that are the shared responsibility of the Department of Antiquities (protecting them as monuments) and of their private owners, such as the Evkaf Foundation or the Church of Cyprus (wishing to use them for religious purposes). Due to the current division, the Foundation cannot administer and manage its properties located in the south of the island. The Ministry of the Interior, acting as the guardian of Turkish Cypriot properties, assumes this responsibility, including in terms of financial contributions for restoration works to be undertaken (Law No. 139 of 1991). 79. While the authorities are convinced that access is easy upon simple request to the Department of Antiquities, or the service for the management of Turkish Cypriot properties at the Ministry of the Interior, in practice people are not always aware of the procedures they should follow. For example, the Special Rapporteur was informed of cases in which Turkish Cypriots drove all the way to the Agia Sofia mosque in Paphos to access its important historical cemetery, found the doors closed with no information on how to be granted access and returned home. It is true, however that in other cases, people have been able to visit the mosque without difficulty. 80. The Special Rapporteur also notes that there do not appear to be a significant number of Turkish Cypriots or Turkish speakers working in the service for the management of Turkish Cypriot properties, which can potentially raise obstacles for those seeking information from the service. This may also raise difficulties in terms of understanding the meaning of some sites and organizing access appropriately. 81. Citizens from mainland Turkey who have settled in the north and their descendants cannot cross the Green Line. The Special Rapporteur notes the concern of the Government of the Republic of Cyprus, which regards this as an issue of “occupation” and “illegal colonization”17 to which article 49 (6) of the Fourth Geneva Convention applies. However, she also notes that such people, including youth born on the island, cannot travel to the south for cultural events or to visit cultural sites without special intervention, as they lack the required documents, and that the long-term consequences of this may be quite negative. The Special Rapporteur notes that several pilgrimages have been organized for them to visit the Hala Sultan Tekke mosque. Those are positive steps and the Special Rapporteur hopes that the limitations on the freedom of movement of those persons will be lifted and that they will be provided with the necessary documentation at the earliest opportunity, so that they can fully and freely access and enjoy cultural heritage. 82. The Special Rapporteur welcomes the efforts of the Department of Antiquities to make cultural heritage accessible to persons with disabilities. She received publications in braille about important sites, such as the House of Eustolios and the theatre in Kourion. She noted ramps in place at the site of the historic mosaics in Paphos and hopes that more will be done in that regard. (b) Restrictions in the north 83. Crossing the buffer zone to visit sites on an individual basis is reportedly allowed at any time and in both directions for all Cypriot nationals, as long as they have their documents. 84. However, the Turkish Cypriot authorities have put in place restrictive arrangements for collective access. Before the Special Rapporteur’s visit, access for religious ceremonies was granted on special dates only, for sites that were considered safe and were located outside a military zone, and were not already used for another purpose. The Special Rapporteur received many testimonies about a lengthy and tedious process of approval that discourages such use and is experienced as humiliating by some. Requests to organize ceremonies need to indicate the place and date, but also the number and identity of all participants, the icons and other religious materials, the identity of vehicles, etc. At the crossing points, every item is checked on the way out and back. Reportedly, authorizations are granted only a few days before the planned ceremony, which causes many 17 14 See, for example, A/HRC/22/51/Add.1, para. 55, and CCPR/C/CYP/CO/4, para. 17.