The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) ruling in the case of Evangelia Zavridou, a mother who has been alienated from her children for six years due to the father’s refusal to comply with a court’s custody decision, is not just a personal matter.
It concerns us all, as it reveals how vulnerable we are as citizens of the Republic of Cyprus.
Citizens rely on the justice system as a safeguard—a pillar that is meant to uphold justice, which is often elusive, disregarded, or difficult to discern.
Beyond the fact that judicial processes are time-consuming (and emotionally draining), even when decisions are made, they often lose their significance because the authorities responsible for enforcing them fail to do so.
In this particular case, the woman was left to navigate alone from one agency to another, from one legal battle to the next, as years went by and her children gradually grew distant.
Now, we have a damning verdict from the ECHR against the Republic of Cyprus.
But can this ruling bridge the gap of six years of alienation? Can it heal the wounds inflicted on their hearts or undo the feelings that have been shaped by these experiences?
The woman, a mother of two, was granted custody and care of her children by a Family Court decision, yet she has been deprived of them since 2018 because the father refused to hand them over and did not allow any contact between her and the children.
Even when the father was imprisoned for contempt of court, the children were not returned to the mother but instead placed with the father’s relatives, under the supervision of state welfare services.
As highlighted in the ECHR decision, despite the availability of legal measures that the Republic of Cyprus could have employed to protect the petitioner’s rights, the state delayed their implementation, placing the entire burden on her to fight for reunification with her children by any means possible.
The decision notes that the state services took two years from the initial reports of the children’s alienation to reevaluate the situation, resulting in a loss of precious time.
Moreover, even when it should have been clear to the authorities that the father was unwilling to comply, and despite having the legal framework to intervene, they did not take action.
And now, beyond the moral satisfaction of this verdict, what comes next? How does the Republic of Cyprus feel about its failure?
This case lays bare the consequences of the state’s inaction, raising fundamental questions about its commitment to protecting its citizens’ rights.
The judgment may provide a sense of validation, but it cannot undo the years of separation or the emotional toll borne by the family.