Legal System of Dhekelia

Dhekelia is located in Europe. It is geographically situated in eastern mediterranean, on the southeast coast of cyprus near famagusta. The capital is Episkopi Cantonment (base administrative center for Akrotiri and Dhekelia); located in Akrotiri.

Government Overview

Chief of State: King CHARLES III (since 8 September 2022) Head of Government: Administrator Air Vice-Marshal Peter J.M. SQUIRES (since 1 September 2022); note - the administrator reports to the British Ministry of Defense and is also Commander, British Forces Cyprus (BFC); the chief officer, an appointed civilian, is responsible for the day-to-day running of the civil government of the Sovereign Base Areas

Legal System

The legal system of Dhekelia is described as laws applicable to the Cypriot population are, as far as possible, the same as the laws of the Republic of Cyprus; note - the Sovereign Base Area Administration has its own court system to deal with civil and criminal matters

Constitutional Framework

The constitution has the following history: presented 3 August 1960, effective 16 August 1960 (The Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia Order in Council 1960, serves as a basic legal document); amended 1966

Judicial Branch

Highest Court(s): Senior Judges’ Court (consists of several visiting judges from England and Wales) Judge Selection: see entry for United Kingdom Subordinate Courts: Resident Judges’ Court; military courts

Legislative Branch

Citizenship and Suffrage

Historical Background

By terms of the 1960 Treaty of Establishment that created the independent Republic of Cyprus, the UK retained full sovereignty and jurisdiction over two areas of almost 254 square kilometers – Akrotiri and Dhekelia. The larger of these is the Dhekelia Sovereign Base Area, which is also referred to as the Eastern Sovereign Base Area.

This article provides a summary of the legal system and governmental structure of Dhekelia based on the CIA World Factbook. The Factbook is a public domain publication of the United States Central Intelligence Agency.