GayLawNet^®

Southern Cyprus

The age of lawful sexual activity amongst consenting males is 17 (compared to 16 years for lawful sexual activity between consenting heterosexuals) [R1.1].

Maximum penalty for under age sexual activity is five years imprisonment (three years for heterosexuals).

Previously:

In July 2002, the House decided to defer discussion despite an attempt from House Legal Affairs Committee Chairman Panayiotis Demetriou to convince the plenum to treat the matters as urgent and vote on it immediately [R1.2].

Government Instrumentalities

In November 2008, Interior Minister Bagherian granted resident status to Mehdi Kazemi [R1.1].

In July 2008, the Commissioner of Administration in Cyprus warned that Mehdi Kazemi, 20 a gay Iranian man, faced death in his homeland if he was deported [R1.2].

Northern Cyprus

Discrimination in the work place against openly gay men or women is most likely to be encountered [R1.1].

In the 1990s some tourists suspected of homosexuality or being infected with HIV were been refused entry or quickly deported [R1.2].

Southern Cyprus

In 2004, discrimination in employment based on sexual orientation was made unlawful [R2.1].

Church

In 1998, Cypriot Greek Orthodox Archbishop Chrysostomos said he will defrock a gay priest who has AIDS [R1.1].

Southern Cyprus

Consensual sex between same-sex couples was decriminalised in the Greek, southern half of Cyprus 1998 [R1.1] as a consequence of the 1993 judgment in the case of Modinos v. Cyprus [C1.1].

Previously:

In July 2002, the House decided to discuss the issue next week despite an attempt from House Legal Affairs Committee Chairman Panayiotis Demetriou to convince the plenum to treat the matters as urgent and vote on it immediately [R1.1].

In 2000, parliament finally replaced the reference to "unnatural licentiousness" with the phrase "intercourse between men" [R1.2].

In July 1998, amendments to the laws saw a ban on advertising for a gay partner, prohibitions on gay "indecent" proposals and higher penalties to sex offences that are homosexual in nature [R1.3].

In May 1998, the parliament of the Republic of Cyprus voted May 21 to change its law criminalizing consensual homosexual relations between adults, with some repressive elements [R1.4].

In November 1997, the government called for the House Foreign Affairs Committee to vote to legalise gay-male sex [R1.5].

Northern Cyprus

In the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, the Criminal Code of Cyprus provides -

"171. Any person who -

(a) has carnal knowledge of any person against the order of nature; or (b) permits a male person to have carnal knowledge of him against the order of nature, is guilty of a felony and is liable to imprisonment for five years.

"172. Any person who with violence commits either of the offences specified in the last preceding Section is guilty of a felony and liable to imprisonment for fourteen years.

"173. Any person who attempts to commit either of the offences specified in Section 171 is guilty of a felony and is liable to imprisonment for three years, and if the attempt is accompanied with violence he is liable to imprisonment for seven years." [R2.1].

In October 2006, Turkish controlled Northern Cyprus announced plans to decriminalize homosexuality [R2.2].

National

Cyprus only recognizes a marriage between a man and a woman. The nation does not recognize same-sex marriages, civil unions or domestic partnerships [R1.1].

National

The army does not accept people who are openly homosexual. [R1].