Cyprus parliament reviews outdated criminal code

The Cypriot House Legal Affairs Committee convened on Wednesday to address the urgent need for a radical overhaul of the island’s criminal code. Dating back to 1929 and last consolidated in 1959, the code remains rife with archaic provisions, including references to the 'Indies,' regulations regarding railway infrastructure—a feature Cyprus does not possess—and specific restrictions on how far a horse may protrude from a cart. Committee chairwoman Fotini Tsiridou noted that the 374-article document still references the outdated Cypriot pound as its official currency.

Legal expert Ilias Stefanou, representing the Cyprus Bar Association, informed the committee that efforts to modernize the code have repeatedly failed since 2000, despite two decades of work by various committees of judges and professors. The discussion was spurred by a case before the European Court of Human Rights involving a Muslim resident of Larnaca who faced legal challenges under Article 79. This specific provision criminalizes the organization of Muslim weddings and circumcisions, as well as the hiring of dancers for such events. Legislators and legal professionals are now seeking to resolve these discrepancies and finally update the legislation to reflect modern reality.