Elias Neocleous & Co LLC is delighted to announce the appointment of Mr. Alper Riza QC as a consultant to our legal team. Known to many as a regular and informative columnist for the Cyprus Mail, Mr. Riza has enjoyed a high profile and illustrious legal career.
He was called to the Bar in 1973 and spent much of his early career in areas linked to Human Rights law which was then in its infancy. Subsequently, he was the barrister in a number of high-profile cases including:
- R v Secretary of State ex parte Bugdaycay [1987], House of Lords – on test of reasonable likelihood of persecution in refugee cases;
- R v Secretary of State ex parte Ross-Clunis [1991], House of Lords – on British Nationality law.
- R v Collin Miller [2010] Court of Appeal, Criminal Division – on whether one previous conviction for rape when the defendant was teenager was capable of showing propensity to commit rape;
- R (On the Application of Nicolaou) v Redbridge Magistrates Court Divisional Court [2012] – on the meaning of "Take out of the UK" under the Child Abduction Act 1984;
- Guzelyurtlu v Cyprus & Turkey (2018) European Court of Human Rights, Grand Chamber – on the Obligation of states to co-operate in the investigation of murder;
- Ledra Advertising and others v European Commission and European Central Bank [2016] Court of Justice of the EU, Grand Chamber – on the legality of the Cyprus bail-in.
He is based at Goldsmith Chambers in the Middle Temple in London. In 1991 Mr Riza became the first Cypriot national to be appointed a Queen's Counsel in England after independence in 1960. He was appointed a part-time judge in 1992 sitting in civil and criminal cases.
Mr Riza has strong ties with Cyprus and is fluent in Greek. He is a widely respected public speaker and a frequent commentator on social and political events affecting Cyprus. To hear his views on the 2013 Cyprus 'bail in' click here.
It is a privilege to have Mr Riza assisting our litigation team and we look forward to a long and mutually beneficial partnership with him.
For more information on this please speak with your usual contact at Elias Neocleous & Co LLC.
