A written declaration on the issue of the continued illegal detention of the five Greek Cypriots in the Turkish-occupied areas of Cyprus, was submitted by the leader of the European People’s Party (EPP) political group in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), Spanish Member of Parliament, Pablo Hispán and was signed by a large number of Members from all five political groups of PACE. The move follows a letter sent by the President of the House of Representatives, Annita Demetriou, to the President of the PACE.
According to a press release by the Parliament, the written declaration condemns the continued illegal detention of the five Greek Cypriots by the occupation regime, because they wanted to visit their properties from which they were forcibly evicted decades ago, in violation of their fundamental human rights and the basic principles and values of the Council of Europe.
This action, as noted in the declaration, is not an isolated incident, but “is part of Turkey’s broader efforts to intimidate displaced Greek Cypriots who demand the restoration of their rights, while undermining efforts to bring about rapprochement between the two communities.”
The Written Declaration calls on the PACE to condemn the illegal arrest and continued detention of the five Greek Cypriots displaced by the occupation regime, demands their immediate release and calls on Turkey to fully comply with its international obligations.
According to the press release by the Parliament, this important initiative by the President of the European People’s Party of the Assembly, is part of a follow-up to a relevant letter-demarche sent by the President of the House of Representatives, Annita Demetriou, to the President of the PACE, Theodoros Roussopoulos, denouncing the flagrant violations of international law and human rights by Turkey and the occupation regime in Cyprus subordinate to it.
A corresponding letter was also sent by the head of the Cypriot delegation to the CSTO, Nikos Tornaritis, to the heads of the national delegations to the Assembly, who, in addition to his letter, also had direct, relevant contacts with representatives of the Assembly.
Five Greek Cypriots were “arrested” on July 19 in the Turkish-occupied village of Trikomo, in the northern part of Cyprus, while visiting their properties and were charged by the “authorities” of the illegal regime with “illegal entry” and other charges. They continue to be illegally detained and to be subjected to “court sessions” while some have been reported to suffer from health issues. The Cyprus government condemned the arrests, calling for the immediate release of the five, while a European Commission spokesperson said the EU “does not recognise the self-proclaimed state in the northern part of Cyprus and its so-called judicial system.”
Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkey invaded and occupied its northern third. Repeated rounds of UN-led peace talks have so far failed to yield results. The latest round of negotiations, in July 2017 at the Swiss resort of Crans-Montana ended inconclusively.
