At least 30 children, most of them British, are feared to have been conceived by IVF treatment in northern Cyprus using the wrong sperm or egg donors.

In each case, the parents suspect they did not get the donors they had selected.

The figure is one of several new findings in a BBC investigation that, earlier this year, uncovered the first seven cases.

All the parents say they carefully selected anonymous donors based on information such as their medical history, appearance, personality, education and hobbies.

However, they have concerns the requested sperm and egg donors may not have been used in their fertility treatments.

Half of the 30 children were born from procedures at one clinic, Dogus IVF Centre.

“It’s absolutely scandalous,” said one of the mothers, Rachel, who recently learned that she received the wrong sperm donor from the clinic.

Three people – Dr Firdevs Uguz Tip, Dr Sevket Alpturk, and a patient co-ordinator Julie Hodson – were involved in the care of many of these patients at Dogus.

Parents suspect these members of staff may have misled them. Firdevs denies any wrongdoing and neither Alpturk or Hodson have responded to our questions.

The BBC has also now learnt that the world’s largest sperm bank, Cryos International, has blacklisted Dogus clinic since 2016.

In northern Cyprus – a territory where European Union laws do not apply and which is only legally recognised by Turkey – clinics are loosely regulated and promise patients low prices, high success rates and a wide choice of sperm and egg donors.

The Turkish-occupied territory is one of the most popular destinations for British people seeking fertility treatment abroad.

We first revealed the emerging scandal in March where a small group of parents appeared to have been misled about donors.

Responding to the allegations, the territory’s Ministry of Health said it had launched an official investigation. However, it has not responded to our repeated requests for more information.

Since then, more parents have contacted us and their stories have concerning similarities.

The majority said the clinics they had used had promised them screened, healthy donors from Western Europe, but that they had become suspicious after their children were born.

Eleven of the 30 children have now taken commercial DNA tests which show they have inherited genetic ancestry from Turkey or surrounding countries.

This suggests their parents’ requested donors were not used.

The majority of the children who have done DNA tests were conceived through IVF between 2012 and 2024 at Dogus clinic.

Families have been left with questions about who their children’s real donors are and their medical histories.

“These reports are deeply troubling,” said Laura Bridgens, founder of the charity Donor Conceived UK. “It’s a fundamental human right for a donor-conceived person to know the truth about their origins.”

In the past few days, the UK’s Foreign Office has also updated its travel advice warning that fertility treatment in northern Cyprus “carries risks” due to a lack of regulation and it encourages those seeking IVF in the territory to conduct thorough research beforehand.

António Guterres was speaking to journalists in the capital Nicosia at the end of his first official visit to the country, where he met with the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot leaders as well as stakeholders. 

Mr. Guterres said he held “frank and constructive discussions” with Nikos Christodoulides and Tufan Erhürman, both separately and together. 

Solidarity and a search for a solution 

He recalled that the UN has consistently worked to assist the communities “in their efforts to reach a comprehensive, sustainable solution to the Cyprus issue”. 

The island has been divided since July 1974. Recent UN engagement has focused on rebuilding confidence after years without a formal settlement track.  

Since 2017, six meetings have been held in Switzerland, Germany and the United States in this regard.  

“In this context, it was my duty to come to Cyprus to express my full solidarity with the people of Cyprus in their quest for a solution,” Mr. Guterres said, stressing that “this is the moment when all efforts must be made to rebuild trust.” 

He appealed to the two leaders to intensify efforts “to define and implement confidence-building measures that can make a difference in the daily lives of all Cypriots”. 

The Secretary-General said they have both assured him of their determination to continue working with his Personal Envoy, Maria Angela Holguin. 

New meeting proposed 

“Based on our discussions on the way forward, I decided that I would convene another 5+1 meeting after adequate preparations on confidence building, methodology and substance, taking into account the convergences already achieved,” he said. 

The 5+1 format brings together the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot leaders, guarantors Greece, Türkiye and the United Kingdom and the UN.  

He said the UN will consult with the two sides and the guarantors “to create the conditions for the meeting’s success”.  

A clear message 

The Secretary-General noted that throughout the visit, he also had the opportunity to hear from many Cypriots, and their clearest message was a desire for progress.

“They want to see their leaders make compromises and to walk that last mile towards a settlement of the Cyprus issue,” he said. 

“They want a future in which this island is defined not by division, but by cooperation, opportunity and peace.” 

Respect UN force 

Regarding the situation on the ground, the Secretary-General emphasised the need to respect the mandated authority of the UN peacekeeping operation UNFICYP, both in the buffer zone and UN-delineated ceasefire lines. 

The force, which has deployed since 1964, “has helped maintain calm and stability in a sensitive environment” and “its continued effectiveness depends on the cooperation of all sides.” 

He also commended the work of the Committee on Missing Persons as well as the bicommunal technical committees working to bridge the gap between political negotiations and the everyday concerns of the people, in addition to highlighting his engagement with civil society. 

A ‘crucial moment’ 

The Secretary-General concluded his remarks by recognising the significant contributions of the UNFICYP staff and his Mission of Good Offices for their critical roles in supporting peace and stability. 

He stressed that “the United Nations cannot impose peace,” but “remains fully committed to supporting the people of Cyprus in this crucial moment for the island and the wider region”. 

Responding to a journalist’s question, he pointed to the “important geopolitical movements” and persistent and unending conflicts in a region “where we have seen how conflicts can be enlarged”. 

He expressed the belief that “a solution in Cyprus is absolutely crucial not only to preserve the interests and the peace of the Cypriot people, but also as a factor of stability in what is becoming a dangerously unstable region.” 

Five Israeli men were acquitted of all charges on Monday at a Cyprus court over the alleged gang rape of a 20-year-old British woman.

Famagusta criminal court cleared the five defendants of two counts of rape, one count of sexual abuse, one count of forced sexual intercourse, one count of sexual harassment, and one count of abduction.

She told police she was sexually assaulted and raped by five Israeli nationals in September 2023. The five defendants were Israeli men between the ages of 19 and 20 who come from the town of Majd al-Krum.

The trial began in October 2023 at Famagusta criminal court, just north of Ayia Napa, where the British woman reported the attack happened.

They denied all charges.

In its decision, the court said the woman’s testimony was not credible, had inconsistencies and weaknesses where it concerned identifying individuals and the actions they were accused of.

The panel of three judges specified misidentification was “not abnormal” in such circumstances but ruled her testimony had several contradictions.

The court ruled her statement where she claimed she was dragged from a party of 100 people was not convincing, as a friend testified seeing her simply go upstairs to a room with another person.

While lab tests showed the woman had consumed significant amounts of alcohol and was also under the influence of narcotics (MDA and MDMA), the court ruled this was not to a degree that would deprive her of the ability to consent to sex – since she herself said she felt only “slightly dizzy” at the time.

The court also determined that her claim that she shouted for help during the alleged gang rape was not convincing as two individuals from the adjacent room said they heard nothing.

It specified that the woman told a police officer that she had non consensual sex with one person, but in subsequent statements changed it to two.

The judges said in her first statement, she reported sexual acts were carried out by three individuals against her while identifying five men in the room. In her subsequent statement she reported five men of carrying out sexual acts.

The court also concluded it could not be safely determined whether abrasions found on the woman’s body were not sustained earlier and may have been a result of consensual intercourse.

Part of the trial was held behind closed doors.

There’s a positive “new atmosphere” surrounding the discussions, Secretary-General António Guterres said on Tuesday.

Speaking in Geneva after a second day of informal talks, the UN chief underscored his commitment to ensuring the security and well-being of the Cypriots – the Greek Cypriots and the Turkish Cypriots – “from the very start of my mandate…today was another attempt to find a way forward”.

Greek Cypriot leader Nikos Christodoulides and Ersin Tatar, leader of the Turkish Cypriots, had gathered in Geneva along with guarantors Greece, Türkiye and the United Kingdom at the request of the UN chief.

Common ground

“Mr. Tatar and Mr. Christodoulides have agreed the following group of initiatives to build trust,” he said, listing “opening of the four crossing points, demining, creation of a technical committee on youth, initiatives on the environment and climate change including the impacts on mining areas; solar energy in the buffer zone and the restoration of cemeteries”.

The UN has pushed for negotiations towards a settlement of the issues which led to the division of the island, with the Security Council authorising a UN peacekeeping force in 1964, UNFICYP.

In the absence of a permanent agreement, the force remains on the island to supervise ceasefire lines, a buffer zone and to support humanitarian activities.

Previous push for progress

Mr. Guterres attempted to bring the two sides together in 2017 at the Swiss Alpine resort of Crans-Montana but talks ultimately broke down. A further push was made in 2021.

In contrast, the latest discussions saw “meaningful progress”, the UN chief insisted. “I hope that the confidence-building measures or the initiatives to build trust, together with the decision to have very soon a next meeting and the acceptance by all of the appointment of a Special Envoy on Cyprus to prepare the next steps, demonstrates the sense of commitment and the sense of urgency that I believe were extremely important. It’s a new atmosphere.”