Constitution of Cyprus
[3] The Constitution of the Republic of Cyprus has been in force for 64 years and it has been amended 18 (eighteen) times and 28 Articles of the 199 were modified since 1960.
The Constitution of Cyprus establishes a bicommunal unitary Republic with partial communal autonomy and a Presidential system of government with a Greek-Cypriot President and a Turkish-Cypriot Vice-President, both with extensive veto powers as a means to safeguard the rights of their respective communities.
Following Cyprus's entry into the EU in 2004 and the Ibrahim Aziz vs. Republic of Cyprus case in the European Court of Human Rights, some individual civil rights of Turkish Cypriots residing in the area under the control of the Republic have been restored, thus they can be part of the electoral register and stand in European elections.
This, however, has not restored their communal rights as envisaged in the original constitution, i.e. separate electoral register to elect a vice president and a fixed number of members of the house of representatives.
[2] In addition, President Makarios proposed a constitutional change that year to remove most of the rights given to Turkish Cypriots.
[7] Article six prohibits the discrimination of either Greek or Turkish Cypriots based on their race, while article seven asserts the right to life and states that an individual may only be deprived of his right to life except for when being sentenced by a "competent court" for an offense which provides the death penalty by law.
It also allows for "any service exacted in case of an emergency or calamity threatening the life or well-being of the inhabitants."
"[4] Article 12 ensures that habeas corpus is followed, that no person may be charged twice for the same offense, that the punishment is proportional to the crime, and that people have the right to a defence while in court.
Article sixteen prohibits entering someone's property without their prior consent, or an arrest warrant, unless you are rescuing the individual from danger.
