Kypros Chrysostomides

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Kypros Chrysostomides is a Cypriot politician, member of Cyprus Parliament. He was born in the village of Kathikas in Paphos in July 1942. He graduated from the Paphos Gymnasium.

He studied Law at the University of Athens on a scholarship granted by the Greek Government. He continued his studies at the Luxembourg Law School, again on a scholarship, where he studied Comparative Law.

On a further scholarship granted by the German Government, he pursued postgraduate studies at the University of Bonn where he obtained his Doctorate in Law (Ph. D). The area of his specialisation was Business Law. Thereafter, he worked as a scientific assistant to the Professor of Private International Law at the University of Bonn and he continued his studies in England.

For four years Kypros Chrysostomides worked with the European Commission of Human Rights of the Council of Europe in Strasbourg, France. During his term at the European Commission, he participated in the Commission’s investigation of the accusations against the Greek Junta for violations of human rights.

In 1973 he returned to Cyprus and began practising law in Nicosia. He married lawyer Eleni G. Polyviou in 1974. They have two daughters, Daphne and Georgia. From 1981 until his appointment as Government Spokesman in 2003, he practised law from his own law firm in Nicosia. From 2003, when Tassos Papadopoulos became President of Cyprus, he was the Government Spokesman until 2006.

In 1998 he established the movement "Epalxis Anasiggrotisis Kentrou" and in 2006, he cooperated with AKEL Left-New Powers for the Cypriot legislative election, 2006. During those elections he was elected AKEL Left-New Powers member on House of Representatives of Cyprus.

He always maintained an avid interest in public affairs and became politically active in the progressive and democratic centre. He has also been involved in the scientific and social life in Cyprus. He is the President of the Political Grouping for the Restructure of the Centre, which was established in 1998.

He was a founding member of the Consumers’ Association, a member of the Association of Sciences, of the Greek Civilization Association and of the Historic Studies Association. He is the President of the Cyprus Institute of Political Research and European Affairs, which closely cooperates with various scientific institutions of Greece and elsewhere. He is also a member of the International Association of International Law, the Greek Institute of International Law, the International Law Association as well as other International Organizations.

In 1991 during the presidency of François Mitterrand he was honoured by the French Government with the medal of the Order of Honour (Ordre National du Merite).

He participated in and was the rapporteur and speaker at numerous international conferences, and a number of his articles were published in the Greek and foreign press. He is keenly interested in matters of international and constitutional law, human rights and local government. He was one of the first lawyers to defend cases of refugees and other victims of the Turkish invasion before the European Court of Human Rights.