Northern Cyprus reports first prison term for homophobic psychological violence
On September 24, 2026, the district court in İskele (Trikomo), Northern Cyprus, sentenced Ergün Sünmez to one month in prison for psychological violence against Eastern Mediterranean University lecturer Berna Numan motivated by her sexual orientation. As Bugün Kıbrıs reported on October 14, the overall prison term for several offences was six months.
The case concerns events on September 24, 2023. According to MyKıbrıs, Sünmez attacked and threatened his former wife, Pınar Taş, while directing homophobic insults at Numan, who was also present. Other residents of the building could hear the remarks.
According to Bugün Kıbrıs’s account of the judgment’s reasoning, the court treated the conduct against Numan as a separate offence under Articles 35 and 172 of the criminal legislation. Such a finding, the court explained, requires more than a general intention to insult: a specific motive of prejudice or hatred concerning someone’s sexual orientation must be established.
The newspaper described the ruling as the first prison sentence for psychological violence with this motive in the north of the island. The newspaper also mentioned an earlier case over comments about Pride that ended in a fine.
According to the account of the decision, the court considered Sünmez’s written admission to police and consistent witness testimony. It found that the aim was to humiliate Numan publicly because of her orientation, rather than merely swear during an argument. The month imposed for this offence is included in the stated overall six-month term.
LGBT organisation Kuir Kıbrıs welcomed the judgment and urged police, prosecutors and courts to deal with such complaints promptly. As public broadcaster BRTK reported on October 15, the organisation said it would monitor attacks and hostile speech targeting LGBT people both online and offline.
Erasing 76 Crimes, which covered the case on October 30, notes that male same-sex relations were decriminalised in northern Cyprus in 2014. This part of the island is administered by the self-declared Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, recognised only by Turkey.
