Cyprus

The Republic of Cyprus is a sovereign island state in southeastern Europe. Situated in the Mediterranean Sea, it is located close to Turkey (north), Syria and Lebanon (east), Israel (south east), Egypt (south) and Greece (west). The country gained independence from British Rule in August 1960, after the London-Zurich agreements led to the development of a constitution formed by both the Greek and Turkish Cypriot communities.[ref]”Cyprus profile – Timeline”, BBC, last updated 17 October 2022, https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-17219505[/ref] The Republic of Cyprus is a democracy that has de jure sovereignty over the entire island. In practice, however, the government controls only the southern, largely Greek-speaking part of the island, as the northern area is ruled by the self-declared Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), recognized only by Turkey.

According to the US State Department, 89% percent of the government-controlled population is Orthodox Christian, 3% is Roman Catholic, 2% Protestant, 2% Muslim, 1% is Buddhist, 0.5% are Maronite Catholics, and 0.3% is Armenian Orthodox, with small populations of Jews, Jehovah’s Witnesses, and Baha’is.[ref]”Cyprus” chapter in 2022 Report on International Religious Freedom, Office of International Religious Freedom, U.S. Department of State, https://www.state.gov/reports/2022-report-on-international-religious-freedom/cyprus/[/ref] The number of non-religious individuals does not appear to have been documented.

Use of Conscientious Objection clauses resulting in the denial of lawful services to women and LGBTI+ people
Religious or ideological instruction is mandatory in all or most state-funded schools with no secular or humanist alternative
Insufficient information or detail not included in this report
Insufficient information or detail not included in this report

Countries: Kazakhstan

The state is secular, with separation of religious and political authorities, not discriminating against any religion or belief
Insufficient information or detail not included in this report
No fundamental restrictions on freedom of expression or advocacy of humanist values
Insufficient information or detail not included in this report

Countries: no countries relate to this boundary condition

No condition holds in this strand
No condition holds in this strand

Countries: Andorra

No condition holds in this strand
Religious courts or tribunals rule directly on some family or ‘moral’ matters; it is legally an opt-in system, but the possibility of social coercion is very clear
No condition holds in this strand

Countries: no countries relate to this boundary condition

Localised or infrequent but recurring and widespread social marginalisation or prejudice against the non-religious

This condition is unusual in that it is applied in cases where there is some social discrimination, but it is not pervasive or nationwide. This condition is applied when there is sufficient background evidence to warrant the assertion that discrimination is not anomalous but widespread, and this condition may be applied for example even where if there is no legislative discrimination or where the non-religious may have legal recourse against such discrimination. However, societal discrimination (i.e. discrimination by peers, as opposed to state or legal discrimination) is not easily measured, and for this reason the Report does not currently have similar more severe boundary conditions to capture higher levels of social discrimination per se. In principle these may be introduced in future. However, we consider that countries with actual higher levels of social discrimination against the non-religious will generally already meet other higher level (more severe) boundary conditions under this thematic strand.

The dominant influence of religion in public life undermines the right to equality and/or non-discrimination

Applied when the influence of religion on public life undermines others’ rights, such as SRHR, women’s rights, LGBTI+ rights.

May be applied when the influence is overt (i.e. when religious laws are applied to undermine others’ rights) or covert (i.e. where religious pressure groups exert influence to affect policy)

The non-religious are persecuted socially or there are prohibitive social taboos against atheism, humanism or secularism
Complete tyranny precludes all freedoms of expression and thought, religion or belief

Applied when overriding acts of oppression by the State are extreme, to the extent that the question of freedom of thought and expression is almost redundant, because all human rights and freedoms are quashed by authorities.

Countries: North Korea

Expression of core Humanist principles on democracy, freedom and human rights is brutally repressed
Expression of non-religious views is severely persecuted, or is rendered almost impossible by severe social stigma, or is highly likely to be met with hatred or violence
There is significant social marginalisation of the non-religious or stigma associated with expressing atheism, humanism or secularism
Religious or ideological indoctrination is utterly pervasive in schools
There is a nominal state church with few privileges or progress is being made toward disestablishment

Countries: Bulgaria, Norway, Peru, Rwanda

The non-religious are barred from some government offices (including posts reserved for particular religions or sects)
‘Apostasy’ is outlawed and punishable with a prison sentence

Countries: Bahrain, Comoros, Jordan, Kuwait

‘Apostasy’ or conversion from a specific religion is outlawed and punishable by death
Some religious courts rule in civil or family matters on a coercive or discriminatory basis
Religious authorities have supreme authority over the state

Countries: Iran

State legislation is partly derived from religious law or by religious authorities
Preferential treatment is given to a religion or religion in general

This condition is applied where there are miscellaneous indicators that organs of the state offer various forms of support for a religion, or to religion in general over non-religious worldviews, suggesting a preference for those beliefs, or that the organs of that religion are privileged.

There is a pattern of impunity or collusion in violence by non-state actors against the nonreligious
State-funded schools provide religious education which may be nominally comprehensive but is substantively biased or borderline confessional
Religious or ideological instruction in a significant number of schools is of a coercive fundamentalist or extremist variety

This condition highlights countries where schools subject children to fundamentalist religious instruction with no real opportunity to question fundamentalist tenets, or where lessons routinely encourage hatred (for example religious or ethnic hatred). The wording “significant number of schools” is not given a rigid quantification (sometimes the worst-offending schools are unregistered, illegal, or otherwise uncounted); however the condition is not applied in cases where only a small number of schools meet the description and may be anomalous, as opposed to being indicative of a widespread problem.

State legislation is largely or entirely derived from religious law or by religious authorities
Anomalous discrimination by local or provincial authorities, or overseas territories
Religious or ideological instruction is mandatory in at least some public schools (without secular or humanist alternatives)
‘Blasphemy’ or criticism of religion is outlawed and punishable by death
Government figures or state agencies openly marginalize, harass, or incite hatred or violence against the non-religious
Government authorities push a socially conservative, religiously or ideologically inspired agenda, without regard to the rights of those with progressive views
It is illegal to advocate secularism or church-state separation, or such advocacy is suppressed
Prohibitive interreligious social control (including interreligious marriage bans)
Quasi-divine veneration of a ruling elite is enforced, or a single-party regime holds uncontested power, subject to severe punishment
Legal or constitutional provisions exclude non-religious views from freedom of belief
It is illegal to register an explicitly Humanist, atheist, secularist or other non-religious NGO or other human rights organization, or such groups are persecuted by authorities
There is a religious tax or tithing which is compulsory, or which is state-administered and discriminates by precluding non-religious groups
The non-religious are barred from holding government office
Some concerns about children's right to specifically religious freedom

This condition may apply if specifically religious education, religious materials, or specific religious denominations are so tightly controlled that children are in fact over-protected from exposure to religion and are likely unable to explore or construct their own worldview in accordance with their evolving capacities. This condition helps us to classify states (perhaps with secular constitutions) which have criminalized specifically religious beliefs or practices. This condition is not applied if the restricted beliefs or practices are found to be outlawed due to their being of an extremist variety. While this condition does not directly reflect discrimination against non-religious persons or non-religious ideas, it does represent an overall threat to freedom of thought, conscience, religion or belief; such restrictions could spill over to affect non-religious beliefs later; and they pose a risk of backlash against over-zealous secular authorities or even against non-religious individuals by association.

It is illegal or unrecognised to identify as an atheist or as non-religious
It is made difficult to register or operate an explicitly Humanist, atheist, secularist or other non-religious NGO or other human rights organization
 
Severe Discrimination
Systemic Discrimination
Mostly Satisfactory
No Rating

Constitution and government

Although the Constitution[ref]”Cyprus’s Constitution of 1960 with Amendments through 2013″, Constitute Project, accessed 26 March 2024, https://www.constituteproject.org/constitution/Cyprus_2013.pdf?lang=en[/ref] does not specifically make reference to secularism, it guarantees freedom of thought, religion and expression. While these are generally upheld and there is no official state religion within the country, there are indications of some special privileges afforded to religious groups, de facto blasphemy laws present within the Criminal Code and some reports of societal discrimination based on religious belief.

Article 18 of the Constitution explicitly states that “every person has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion,” and provides that all religions whose doctrines or rites are not secret are free and equal before the law.

Privileged groups

In spite of this, Article 110 affords the autocephalous Greek Orthodox Church of Cyprus along with the Vakf, an Islamic institution, exclusive rights in which neither the legislature, executive or administrative functions of the government are permitted to interfere with their activities. No other religious groups are afforded an equivalent level of societal privilege. These institutions, alongside the three other religious denominations recognized within the Constitution (Maronite Catholics, Armenian Orthodox, Roman Catholics) are exempt from tax (except when engaging in strictly commercial activities). All receive significant subsidies and financial assistance from the State for cultural and educational matters, including the operation of schools.[ref]”Cyprus” chapter in 2022 Report on International Religious Freedom, Office of International Religious Freedom, U.S. Department of State, https://www.state.gov/reports/2022-report-on-international-religious-freedom/cyprus/[/ref]

Three recognized Christian minorities—the Armenians, the “Latins” (Roman Catholics), and the Maronites—each have one non-voting representative in the parliament. Members of these minority groups vote in special elections for their representatives, as well as in the general elections.[ref]”Cyprus” chapter in 2022 Report on International Religious Freedom, Office of International Religious Freedom, U.S. Department of State, https://www.state.gov/reports/2022-report-on-international-religious-freedom/cyprus/[/ref]

Other religious groups are able to register as non-profit organizations and are granted tax exempt status, but are not eligible for the allocation of any governmental financial support.

Education and children’s rights

Article 20 of the Constitution dictates that, “every person has the right to receive a free school education.”

There are indications of variance in the religious education curriculum dependent on the region in which the children reside. Within the northern region, religious education is only mandatory in primary and lower secondary schools, while in the south, it is compulsory from pre-primary to the end of secondary school. The curriculum is organized in a mono-confessional way depending on cultural identity: Greek Orthodox religious instruction in the Greek Cypriot south, and Sunni Islam in the Turkish Cypriot north.[Ref]Latif, Dilek 2022. “Dilemmas of Religious Education, Freedom of Religion and Education in Cyprus” Religions 13, no. 2: 96, available at: https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/13/2/96#:~:text=The%20main%20challenge%20of%20religious,at%20school%20(Savvides%20et%20al.[/ref]

Greek Orthodox religious instruction is compulsory to all Greek Orthodox students living in government-run areas of the country, however, there are provisions for non-Christian Orthodox individuals to opt-out.

According to the US State Department,[ref]”Cyprus” chapter in 2022 Report on International Religious Freedom, Office of International Religious Freedom, U.S. Department of State, https://www.state.gov/reports/2022-report-on-international-religious-freedom/cyprus/[/ref]

“The government requires Greek Orthodox religious instruction and attendance at religious services before major Greek Orthodox religious holidays in public primary and secondary schools. The Ministry of Education (MOE) may excuse primary school students of other religious groups from attending religious services and instruction at the request of their parents or guardians, but Greek Orthodox children in primary school may not opt out.”

However, while opting out of participating in such activities is theoretically possible, there are reports of societal pressure to participate in religious activities in schools.

Family, community and society

Gender equality

Reports indicate that women continue to face discrimination as a result of patriarchal attitudes.[ref]”Cyprus” chapter in Freedom in the World 2023, Freedom House, accessed 26 March 2024, https://freedomhouse.org/country/cyprus/freedom-world/2023[/ref]

Article 28 of the Cypriot Constitution guarantees the right to gender equality, guaranteeing “all rights without any direct or indirect discrimination on the grounds of sex.” In the past 5 years, Cyprus has made significant progressions in the field of women’s rights.[ref]”Cyprus”, European Institute for Gender Equality, last updated December 2022, accessed 26 March 2024, https://eige.europa.eu/gender-mainstreaming/countries/cyprus?language_content_entity=en[/ref] For instance, the National Action Plan for Equality between Men and Women ran from 2019 till 2023 and aimed to promote gender mainstreaming in both education and research. The scheme also introduced new policies and courses for governmental and administrative teams to comply with national and EU legislation on gender equality.[ref]”Cyprus” chapter in Gender Equality in Academia and Research – GEAR tool, European Institute for Gender Equality, accessed 26 March 2024, https://eige.europa.eu/gender-mainstreaming/toolkits/gear/legislative-policy-backgrounds/cyprus [/ref]

LGBTI+ rights

The LGBT+ community reportedly faces significant discrimination from more conservative sectors of society.[ref]”Cyprus” chapter in Freedom in the World 2023, Freedom House, accessed 26 March 2024, https://freedomhouse.org/country/cyprus/freedom-world/2023; Nikolaos Prakas, “‘Cyprus is not ready for gay marriage’”, Cyprus Mail, 16 February 2024, https://cyprus-mail.com/2024/02/16/cyprus-is-not-ready-for-gay-marriage/[/ref]

In May 2023, Cyprus’ parliament passed a landslide bill criminalizing conversion therapy.[ref]Yassine Chagh, “Cyprus Parliament Passes Bill Criminalising Conversion Therapy”, IGLYO, 26 May 2023, https://www.iglyo.org/news/cyprus-may-2023[/ref] This decision makes formal amendments to the Penal Code and criminalizes any practice or technique that aims to convert or suppress an individual’s identity.[ref]Cyprus Criminal Code – Chapter 154 – 1959 edition, https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EL/TXT/PDF/?uri=NIM:289553[/ref] In cases that aim to convert children the penalty carries a three year prison sentence and €10,000 fine. Furthermore, simply advertising these services can also result in a prison sentence.[ref]Belavusau Uladzislau, “Conversion Practices on LGBT+ People”, Think Tank European Parliament, 14 July 2023, https://www.europarl.europa.eu/thinktank/en/document/IPOL_STU(2023)752385[/ref]

Freedom of expression, advocacy of humanist values

The state provides unrestricted access to the internet, and there is a strong level of political and press freedom. Non-governmental organizations, human rights organizations and trade unions typically operate without impediment or governmental interference.[ref]”Cyprus” chapter in Freedom in the World 2023, Freedom House, accessed 26 March 2024, https://freedomhouse.org/country/cyprus/freedom-world/2023[/ref]

De facto “blasphemy” law

Although Article 19 of the Constitution states that “every person has the right to freedom of speech and expression in any form”, sections 141-142 of the Cypriot Criminal Code seem to contradict this guarantee by enacting a de facto blasphemy law in which it is an offence to essentially insult religions:

“Any person who with the deliberate intention of wounding the religious feelings of any person, or makes any gestures in the sight of that person, or places any object in the sight of that person, is guilty of a misdemeanor and is liable to imprisonment for one year.

“…Any person who publishes a book or pamphlet or any article or letter in a newspaper or periodical which any class of persons consider as a public insult to their religion, with intent to vilify such religion or to shock or insult believers in such religion is guilty of a misdemeanor.”

— Articles 141 and 142, Cyprus Criminal Code

Highlighted cases

In September 2020, teacher and painter, George Gavriel, was placed under investigation by the Ministry of Education following complaints about his paintings, which some – including Archbishop Chrysostomos – deemed to be derogatory of religion.[ref]FM, “Teacher under fire for irreverent artwork”, Financial Mirror, 27 September 2020, https://www.financialmirror.com/2020/09/17/teacher-under-fire-for-irreverent-artwork/[/ref] Some of his artworks, which he describes as anti-establishment, [ref]www.facebook.com/george.gavrielpainter[/ref] are religion-themed with one depicting a naked Jesus and another a dog urinating on the archbishop.

Maria Stylianou Lottidis, the Commissioner for Administration and the Protection of Human Rights, reportedly agreed with those who object to his paintings stating that Gavriel had “exceeded the limits to which freedom of expression is subject by law, and infringed the rights of others through his art.[…] Because of his unique role of both teacher and artist, Gavriel has failed to take into account the impact of his work, using Christ to shock, provoke and anger a considerable amount of people in Cyprus.” [ref]https://daily-cyprus.com/2020/09/18/protesters-out-on-the-streets-in-support-of-controversial-art-teacher/[/ref] In October 2021, news reports indicate that the case against him had been dropped.[ref]”Cypriot artist angers church and government with protest paintings”, Reuters, 19 October 2021, https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/cypriot-artist-angers-church-government-with-protest-paintings-2021-10-19/[/ref]