Lawyer Murat Metin Hakkı, specialising in property cases, reportedly connected with the case of the five Greek Cypriots held in the north since July 19, was detained on Wednesday by Turkish Cypriot authorities. Turkish Cypriot reports say his arrest appears to be directly connected with the arrest of the five, who face charges of trespassing, causing a public disturbance, and potentially personal data violations.
According to Politis' sources, Hakkı had acted as a lawyer of the “Immovable Property Commission” (IPC) for at least two of the five detainees. He had been abroad for the past month and a half and, on his return to Cyprus yesterday, was arrested at Ercan/Tymbou airport.
Turkish Cypriot news outlet Özgür Gazete reported that the detention is tied to the same investigation concerning the five Greek Cypriots. Another site, Kıbrıs Postası, cited information that Hakki is accused of sharing personal data related to property cases.
According to Haber Kıbrıs, Hakkı was being sought as the person alleged to have given instructions to the five GCs who "carried information and documents against Turkish Cypriots to courts in south Cyprus." It is claimed that Hakkı has been cooperating with GCs in order for Turkish Cypriots to be tried in property cases in courts of the Republic of Cyprus. Haber Kıbrıs concludes that a detailed statement on the matter is expected from the authorites in the north.
Meanwhile, officials of the Republic of Cyprus continue to bring up the matter in their contacts with European partners and the wider international community. Yesterday, Deputy Minister of European Affairs Marilena Raouna raised the issue with her counterparts in Copenhagen, describing the ongoing detention of the five Greek Cypriots as “illegal” and calling for greater pressure on the occupation regime to secure their release. The issue was also raised by Foreign Minister Constantinos Kombos, in his intervention at the Informal Council of EU Foreign Affairs (Gymnich), held in Copenhagen on August 29–30.
It is noted that the detention of the five Greek-Cypriots by the regime in the north has brought down the numbers of people crossing over.