The Republic of Cyprus is appearing before the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) because, for more than six decades, it has retained British colonial-era legislation that effectively equates female dancers and singers with prostitutes if they perform at a Muslim wedding.

What began as one man’s effort to celebrate his daughter’s marriage has evolved into an international legal case against the Cypriot government. The case comes shortly after Cyprus concluded its six-month presidency of the Council of the European Union.

The government now finds itself under scrutiny because, for more than 60 years, no one thought to review the country’s Criminal Code—a legal text that still contains provisions dating back to British colonial rule.

Hiring a Female Performer for a Wedding Is a Criminal Offense

A citizen of the Republic of Cyprus found himself facing a legal nightmare after discovering that he could be arrested and imprisoned for what the law considers a criminal offense: hiring a female singer and dancer to entertain guests at his daughter’s wedding.

The man was born in 1977 in the occupied village of Tziaos in the Famagusta district. He later married a woman from the village of Kotsiatis in the government-controlled area and permanently settled in Larnaca in 2000, where they raised four children.

When his eldest daughter reached the age of 24, he decided—as many fathers would—to organize her traditional Muslim wedding, scheduled for October 2025.

His plans were straightforward. The celebration would be held at his home in Larnaca with family and friends. Since weddings are traditionally accompanied by music and entertainment, he hired a female singer and dancer to perform for the guests.

Her role was purely artistic. She was not being hired for prostitution or any illegal activity.

An Unexpected Legal Problem

In April 2025, an acquaintance informed the bride’s father that if he allowed a woman to sing and dance at his daughter’s Muslim wedding—even inside his own home—he would be committing a criminal offense under Cypriot law.

The revelation came as a shock. Overnight, he went from being a father planning a joyful family celebration to someone who feared arrest and imprisonment.

Article 97 of Cyprus’s Criminal Code

The issue stems from Article 97 of Cyprus’s Criminal Code (Chapter 154), under the heading “Muslim Festivals.”

According to the law, anyone who organizes a Muslim celebration—or owns the premises where it is held—and permits a female dancer to sing or dance, whether paid or unpaid, commits a misdemeanor.

The prescribed punishment is:

• Up to one month in prison, or
• A fine of up to 75 Cyprus pounds—a currency that no longer exists, having been replaced by the euro.

The article points out that this is not legislation from Taliban-ruled Afghanistan, but a law that technically remained in force in an EU member state in 2026.

Even more striking is the legal definition of a “dancer.”

The second paragraph defines a dancer as:

“A prostitute, or a woman who sings or dances for payment at a Muslim celebration.”

The article argues that this reflects British colonial-era moral attitudes that were incorporated into Cypriot law, effectively equating a professional female performer with a prostitute simply because she performs before Muslims at a wedding or circumcision ceremony.

Wedding Cancelled

The father became so concerned about the possibility of criminal prosecution that he seriously considered holding the wedding abroad, where hiring a female performer is not a criminal offense.

Ultimately, he decided to postpone the wedding altogether and instead challenge the Republic of Cyprus in court, hoping first to have the law changed before his daughter marries.

A History of Similar Legal Anomalies

The article recalls that, when cabarets operated throughout Cyprus, every foreign woman employed as an “artist” in those establishments was officially classified as an entertainer, even though prostitution and human trafficking were widely known to occur there with state authorization.

Those women were required to undergo regular medical examinations for sexually transmitted diseases, despite the state’s official position that it was unaware prostitution was taking place.

The article also recounts an incident involving a well-known Greek singer who traveled to Cyprus for a concert. When she declared her profession as “artist,” authorities required her to undergo HIV and STD testing because, under the relevant legal framework, entertainers were effectively associated with prostitution.

A Criminal Offense—but Only for Muslims

The article argues that the case raises serious human rights concerns.

The father risked his personal liberty simply for wishing to celebrate his daughter’s wedding according to his religious traditions.

Represented by lawyer Michalis Kazakou of the law firm A. Christou & Associates LLC, he brought the case before the European Court of Human Rights, alleging violations of the European Convention on Human Rights.

He argues that Cyprus violated:

• Article 8, which protects private and family life, by interfering with how a family celebrates a wedding in its own home.
• Article 14, which prohibits discrimination.

According to the complaint, the Criminal Code imposes this restriction only on Muslims. No comparable prohibition exists for Christians, Jews, or members of any other faith.

Orthodox Christian families may freely hire singers and dancers for weddings without fear of prosecution, and the performers are not legally described in derogatory terms.

The applicant argues that this difference in treatment, based solely on religion, constitutes unlawful discrimination.

“It Doesn’t Matter” Government

The article criticizes successive Cypriot governments for allowing outdated colonial legislation to remain untouched for decades despite Cyprus’s independence and EU membership.

It attributes the failure to reform the Criminal Code to what it describes as a common Cypriot attitude of indifference—summed up by local expressions roughly meaning “play dumb” or “don’t worry about it.”

According to the article, governments, ministers, members of parliament, prosecutors, commissioners, and judges all failed to address the issue until Cyprus found itself defending the law before the European Court of Human Rights.

The article concludes that, had the father actually been forced to leave Cyprus simply to hold his daughter’s wedding legally, the story would have become an international scandal.

Instead, the matter has reached Strasbourg, where the ECHR will decide whether Cyprus’s colonial-era legislation violates the European Convention on Human Rights.

The application has already been declared admissible by the European Court of Human Rights, and the next step will be the Court’s judgment.