Nearly five years after an historic ruling by the European Court of Human Rights forced Turkey to compensate a Cypriot refugee who lost her property during the 1974 invasion, Turkish-Cypriot officials have reportedly decided to hand over the woman’s home.

A report in yesterday’s Afrika Turkish-Cypriot newspaper said officials in Turkish-occupied northern Cyprus have purchased Titina Loizidou’s home in the town of Keryneia, with the intention of returning it to her. The newspaper said the house’s residents have left it following the 250,000-pound (429,100-euro) deal.

In an historic step, Turkey paid Loizidou 1.12 million euros in December 2003, after finally deciding to comply with a decision issued by the European Court of Human Rights in July 1998.

The court had decided to defer discussion of Loizidou’s bid for unrestricted access to her property until this year, after Ankara argued that by 2005 Cyprus would have been reunited.

Loizidou launched her court battle in 1989.