At least 30 families, most of them British, were deceived by an IVF clinic operating in Turkish-occupied northern Cyprus...

At least 30 families, most of them British, were deceived by an IVF clinic operating in Turkish-occupied northern Cyprus over the sperm and egg donors used in their fertility treatments, according to a BBC investigation. The clinic at the center of the scandal is Dogus IVF Centre, where half of the 30 affected children were conceived between 2012 and 2024. The parents say they carefully selected anonymous donors based on medical history, appearance, education, and other personal traits, but DNA tests have since revealed their children did not inherit the genetics they were promised. Eleven of the 30 children have now taken commercial DNA tests showing Turkish or neighboring-country ancestry, strongly suggesting the donors the families requested were never used. Three clinic staff members have been named in connection with the cases: Dr. Firdevs Uguz Tip, Dr. Sevket Alpturk, and patient coordinator Julie Hodson. Dr. Firdevs denies any wrongdoing. Neither Alpturk nor Hodson responded to the BBC's questions. The BBC also learned that Cryos International, the world's largest sperm bank, blacklisted Dogus IVF Centre back in 2016. The occupied north operates outside EU law and is recognized only by Turkey, leaving its clinics subject to weak oversight while advertising low prices and high success rates to attract foreign patients. One mother, Rachel, whose 13-year-old son Jonah was conceived at Dogus in 2012, said the situation is "absolutely scandalous." She added that after learning other families had come forward, it now appears to be "something much bigger and much more misleading" than a single mistake. The UK's Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office updated its travel advice for Cyprus following the BBC report, warning that treatment in the occupied north "carries risks as clinics are not regulated in the same way as in the UK." A man was also arrested at the illegal Tymbou airport in May carrying four human embryos illegally. The "health ministry" in the occupied north said it had launched a formal investigation but has not responded to repeated BBC requests for further information. #Cyprus #OccupiedCyprus #IVF