With a joint letter, the six Cypriot MEPs will address Josep Borrell, requesting urgently a meeting with him, on the sidelines of the Plenary Session of the European Parliament in Strasbourg, in order to inform him and explore ways of EU intervention for the release of Andreas Soudjis, a Greek Cypriot who is illegally detained in the Turkish occupied areas of Cyprus.
DISY MEP, Loucas Fourlas, said that the six MEPs will act together and explore other options as well, in the direction of informing the EU to intervene on the matter. The goal, he said, “is to have a practical result as soon as possible.”
According to AKEL MEP, Niyazi Kizilyurek, the reason they will turn to the High Representative of the European Union for matters of foreign affairs and security policy, is that, although Cyprus, including the occupied territories, is part of the EU, the occupied territories are under the administration of Turkey and the Turkish Cypriot “police” of the puppet regime is subordinate to the Turkish armed forces. “Turkey is responsible. This is why we are going to Borrell with this”, Kizilyurek told reporters.
Kizilyurek added that he had earlier communicated with Soudji’s lawyer. He informed him that he is in good health, but no visitors are allowed, except for his lawyer. According to what was conveyed to Kiziljurek, the lawyer, Öncel Polili, complains that the “police” deliberately delayed the process. The lawyer argues that based on the evidence against him, Soudjis could have already been released with a small fine.
Andreas Soudjis was arrested on August 30th. The evidence used against him by the so called “authorities” of the illegal puppet regime, which has led to a “charge” of espionage, is a walkie-talkie found in his hotel, a map with some places marked and photographs, which, according to Kizilyurek, do not concern military areas. In addition, two photos of a military area were also found.
The explanation Soudjis gives is that he and his friends visited the Turkish occupied territories in two separate vehicles and used the walkie-talkies to communicate, not knowing that this is prohibited. The points marked on the map are for a book that a friend of his is writing and they were visiting those places to take pictures for that purpose. The photos concerning the military area are from an event in which Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots walked together from Deryneia to Famagusta, so they are not related.
An illegal breakaway state declared independence unilaterally, on November 15, 1983, in the areas under Turkish occupation, an action condemned by the UN Security Council and the international community as legally null and void. The illegal declaration followed the division of the island after the Turkish military invaded Cyprus in 1974, occupying one third of its territory ever since.