Court Grants Greek Property Rights in Turkey

The court room of the European Court of Human Rights

STRASBOURG (Associated Press)—The European Court of Human Rights says Turkey must pay 5 million euros in damages to two Greek nationals who sought to acquire three buildings in Istanbul bequeathed to them by their late sister.

The Strasbourg-based court’s decision Tuesday could affect property rights in Turkey for Greek nationals and in neighboring Cyprus, which is split into Greek- and Turkish-speaking parts.

Ioannis and Evangelos Fokas lodged the case in 2002, saying they were refused their inheritance because they’re Greek.

The court said there was no legal obstacle preventing Greeks from acquiring property in Turkey since a 1964 decree forbidding it was abolished in 1988.

Turkey had argued in part that its nationals did not enjoy similar inheritance rights in Greece, but the court determined that was not the case.