A/HRC/34/56/Add.1 47. The Special Rapporteur is concerned about what she considers a serious effort to destroy intangible cultural heritage, in the sense that the new names do not reflect the complexity and history of the territory and seek to erase part of the past. 13 Most Greek Cypriots and many Turkish Cypriots reportedly reject the use of the new names in practice. 48. The Special Rapporteur also expresses concern, however, about the human rights implications of some aspects of the 2013 Law on the Procedure for Standardization of Geographical Names of the Republic of Cyprus, which criminalize the publication and circulation of material containing place names that are different from those specified in official documents. The law provides for imprisonment and fines, and all related documents are liable to seizure and destruction. Such provision is incompatible with the right to freedom of expression, as found by the Human Rights Committee (see CCPR/C/CYP/CO/4, para. 21). It also unduly impedes the work of cultural heritage professionals. 49. The Special Rapporteur also notes the allegation that some former Turkish Cypriot villages that have been destroyed are no longer on the map used in the south. 14 (d) Ongoing neglect, destruction and attacks on cultural heritage 50. Destruction of cultural heritage in Cyprus continues today in the form not only of attacks, but also misuse and neglect. Putting an end to such violations is a necessary step towards reconciliation. In the south 51. The Special Rapporteur visited the Deneia/Denya mosque, an eighteenth-century traditional Turkish Cypriot mosque located near Nicosia. The mosque, damaged during the 1963 armed clashes, was the first site to benefit from emergency measures of restoration conducted under the auspices of the Technical Committee on Cultural Heritage. The mosque stands as a symbol. It is not used any more, as the Turkish Cypriots have been displaced, but is cherished by the local authorities and population as a remembrance of the mixed population that once inhabited the village and as a signal that former neighbours would be welcome to return. Turkish Cypriots come and visit the place two or three times a year, in particular for the annual village celebration, which offers opportunities for mutual exchange and interaction. 52. However, the mosque underwent three recent attacks in 2012, 2013 and again in February 2016, when an arson attack damaged its wooden roof and the books it contained, including Qur’ans, an act which was widely condemned, including at the highest level by the two leaders, as well as the Archbishop of the Church of Cyprus and the Grand Mufti. The Special Rapporteur appreciates that repairs have been carried out expeditiously with government funds. However, while the young perpetrators of the first attack were sentenced to community service, the perpetrators of the latest ones have not been identified. In 2012, arsonists also set fire to the Köprülü Haci Ibrahim Aga mosque in Limassol, an attack that was also condemned by the Government and religious leaders. 53. While she was pleased to hear that government funds are allocated annually to restore and maintain mosques and other Turkish Cypriot sites, the Special Rapporteur also received documentation regarding Turkish Cypriot villages destroyed during the years of conflict and left abandoned. Some mosques, minarets, graveyards, community centres and schools are reportedly now neglected, resulting in further damage. In some cases, mosques are reportedly used as barns and graveyards turned into grazing land for animals. 15 13 14 15 10 In its bulletin No. 48 on geographical names as cultural heritage (May 2015), the United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names stated that “geographical names are addresses, the keys to identifying specific places, but also of irreplaceable cultural value of fundamental importance to local identity, and a person’s sense of belonging, and therefore must be protected and preserved”. Evaluation Committee for the Cultural Assets in North and South Cyprus, Destroyed Turkish Villages in South Cyprus. Ibid.