Before the announcement of the ruling, teachers’ unions gathered outside the “court” chanting: “Cyprus is secular and will remain secular.”
The “constitutional court” in the north ruled that the “council of ministers” has no authority to draft a “disciplinary code,” without judging whether its content was “unconstitutional” or contrary to the secular nature of education.
The Turkish Cypriot secondary teachers’ union (KTOEÖS) had challenged in “court” the amendment to the “disciplinary code” introduced by the “cabinet,” which allowed the wearing of headscarves in high schools.
According to the union’s president, Selma Eylem, the “court,” after evaluating secularism, the right to education, and equality, decided by majority that the code itself was not “unconstitutional.” However, it annulled the code on the grounds that it was “unconstitutional” in terms of the “executive authority” imposing restrictions on fundamental rights and freedoms through a “decree.”
Ahead of the decision, teachers’ unions rallied outside the “court” chanting slogans in defense of secularism. One individual countered with cries such as: “This is a Turkish Cypriot state, a Muslim Turkish state,” and “Our children will be saved from your hands.” After “police” intervention, the individual insisted that, just like the teachers, he too had the right to protest.
Eylem welcomed the ruling, thanking the “court” for declaring the code unconstitutional. “We especially thank our teachers who fought despite pressure and threats, all the representatives of civil society organizations and political parties who stood by us, and the people who took to the streets to protect our girls,” she said.
Following the decision, the union’s lawyer, Öncel Polili, said the “council of ministers” had enacted “regulations” on issues outside its authority, arguing that the “cabinet” does not recognize the “constitution” of the breakaway entity. “This clearly shows that they want to overturn the constitutional order,” he stressed.
He added that the matter could now be debated in the “parliament” and vowed that their struggle would continue.
CNA