Oguzhan Hasipoglu, the secretary-general of the north’s largest political party, the UBP, on Tuesday night said he and his party “strongly reject” a European Commission’s spokesman’s comments on the arrest of five Greek Cypriots in the north, in which they had criticised the north’s “so-called judicial system”.

“In the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, the judiciary functions independently, impartially, and within the framework of the rule of law. Our country’s courts are based on the principle of a fair and equitable trial in all cases, as guaranteed by our constitution and laws,” he said.

He added that it is “unacceptable for EU officially to question the legitimacy of our judiciary”, and that the spokesperson’s remarks constitute “disrespect towards both the Turkish Cypriot people’s democratic will and towards the rule of law”.

“Where was the European Union’s mind when its own citizens, a German and two Hungarians, were arrested by the Greek Cypriot authorities and why were these arrests not questioned?”, he asked, in relation to the arrests made by the Republic of Cyprus of people it accuses of developing and selling Greek Cypriot-owned property in the north.

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“Similarly, why did they not question the unlawful arrest warrants put out by the so-called Republic of Cyprus, a member of the EU, which ignored the Immovable Property Commission, which the European Court of Human Rights considered a domestic legal remedy?”

With this in mind, he said that “the state they recognise is actually in clear violation of the European Convention on Human Rights”, before returning to the matter of the five Greek Cypriots arrested in the north.

“Like everyone who commits unlawful acts, the individuals in question are being held accountable before our independent judiciary. No institution or person can overshadow the TRNC’s sovereign rights or the independence of its judiciary,” he said.

He added, “the Turkish Cypriot people will continue to operate the institutions of their own state on the basis of peace, security, and justice, while remaining within the framework of international law”.

“The European Union continues to make mistake after mistake. While it continues to punish the Turkish Cypriot people who said ‘yes’ to the Annan plan in 2004, it does not refrain from rewarding the Greek Cypriots who said ‘no’,” he said.

This, he said, is a “double standard” which “must now be put to an end”.

“Taking into account the realities of the island, the EU must succeed in being truly fair … Otherwise, it will continue to spoil the Greek Cypriot side with such statements and will therefore continue to serve deadlock rather than a solution,” he said.

The European Commission spokesperson had said on Tuesday that the EU “does not recognise the self-proclaimed state in the northern part of Cyprus and its so-called judicial system”, and that the bloc is “actively cooperating with many actors on the ground” and “in constant contact with the United Nations”.

“The European Commission expresses its concern about the so-called persecution of five Greek Cypriot citizens in the northern part of Cyprus,” they added.

They said the EU “recalls that property disputes, including related charges, are a central element of the current political tensions” between the island’s two sides, and that the settlement of the property issue is a key element of the overall settlement process.

The five Greek Cypriots were arrested in the village of Galatia, near Trikomo, on July 19, and have remained in custody since then.

One of the five is accused of entering the north illegally, with the other four accused of aiding and abetting them, with prosecutors alleging that when the five crossed into the north from the British base of Dhekelia on July 17, only four identity cards were shown to the Turkish Cypriot police at the crossing point.

They will next appear in a military court in northern Nicosia on Thursday, when it is expected a formal trial will begin.

Two of the five had been handed three-month remands in a separate case at a civilian court in Trikomo last month, accused of privacy violations, trespassing, and breaching the peace. That case will continue at the end of October at the latest.