CYPRUS v. TURKEY JUDGMENT – PARTLY DISSENTING OPINION
107
adduced in support of the practice gives rise to an arguable claim of the
existence of a practice. But even if it did, I consider that the burden rests on
the respondent Government to demonstrate, with reference to decided cases,
that these groups had a realistic possibility of bringing successful court
actions. In the political situation obtaining in the “TRNC” I am not at all
convinced, for reasons similar to those set forth in the context of Article 6
above, that the court system is capable of affording or would be permitted to
afford remedies to political dissidents who call into question the policy of
ethnic separation on which the entity is constructed or to impoverished
Gypsies living on the margins of civil society.
Accordingly, the problem of remedies could also have been avoided in
this context either by finding that it was not necessary to examine Article 13
or, in the alternative, finding that there was also a violation of that provision
on the basis of the ineffectiveness of remedies – while leaving open the
question of their legality.
Conclusion
The Court was unwise to follow the Commission in elaborating a general
theory concerning the validity and effectiveness of remedies in the
“TRNC”.
It has perhaps lost sight of the disagreement between the Commission
and Court in Loizidou as to how to approach issues arising out of Turkey's
continuing occupation of northern Cyprus. Surely in such a political area the
Court should allow itself to be guided by the firm – and unrelenting –
approach followed up to the present day by the international community. As
shown above, the approach taken by the Court was unnecessary to decide
the issues presented in this case. In an inter-State case where issues arise
which have implications for the international community at large in its
relations with both parties and indeed with the Court, the principle of
judicial restraint should have been given free rein as the Court suggested in
its remarks in the Loizidou judgment referred to above. I very much regret
that a similar measure of caution was not followed in this case.