At the 79th Session of the United Nations General Assembly, Cypriot Ambassador Maria Michail delivered a powerful statement condemning Turkey’s continued military occupation and human rights abuses in Cyprus. Michail urged the international community to take action against Turkey’s ongoing violations, including illegal activities in Varosha, demographic engineering, and the destruction of cultural heritage in the occupied territories.
As she said, the 50th anniversary of the 1974 invasion marked a somber reminder of the displacement of around 170,000 Greek Cypriots who were forcibly expelled from their homes and have since been prevented from returning, with their properties unlawfully exploited.
Ambassador Michail emphasized that human rights violations cannot be normalized or overlooked simply because they have persisted for a long time.
«There is absolutely no justification of violations of human rights. We are adamant on our position that human rights violations cannot be normalized just because they
have been in place for a long time. We will continue to raise the issue until all human rights violations have been redressed» she noted.
She called on the international community to address the ongoing violations, including Turkey’s exploitation of Greek Cypriot properties and its illegal activities in Varosha, which are in direct violation of UN Security Council resolutions.
“This is part of a deliberate and expanding plan of the occupying power, that is inconsistent with international law, aiming at pre-empting a solution of the Cyprus problem that would envisage the return of the displaced to their homes and properties and the full restoration of their human rights according to international law. Trkiye needs to immediately stop the continuing unlawful exploitation of Greek Cypriot owned land in the occupied part of Cyprus, including the sale of the property to Turkish settlers and interests, as well as to foreigners. In relation to Varosha, Trkiye continues in the same course of action, in full defianc
e of relevant Security Council Resolutions and Presidential Statements that call for immediate reversal of actions” she said.
The ambassador also highlighted Turkey’s demographic engineering efforts, involving the mass transfer of settlers to the occupied areas, which constitutes a war crime under international law. Furthermore, she condemned the destruction of cultural heritage in the occupied territories, citing the desecration of religious and cultural sites as another effort to erase the island’s historic identity.
“With the aim to change the demographic composition and alter the population balance on the island, Trkiye has implemented a systematic policy of demographic engineering in the occupied part of Cyprus, with the mass transfer of settlers from Turkiye. This policy is a war crime under international humanitarian law, aiming to change the demographic character of the island, eliminate its historic character, as well as pre-empt the settlement of the Cyprus problem” she pointed out.
Ambassador Mi
chail also spoke of the dire situation of enclaved Greek Cypriots and Maronites in the occupied areas, who face daily violations of their fundamental rights, including education, privacy, and freedom of expression. She reiterated Cyprus’s call for Turkey to cooperate fully in resolving the humanitarian issue of missing persons, demanding that Turkey provide information from military archives and allow unhindered access to relevant sites.
“We call on Trkiye to provide the Committee on Missing Persons with all relevant information, especially from military archives, on the fate of those persons who disappeared while in its custody or control, including information on burial sites and the deliberate relocation of remains. Trkiye needs to ensure that the Committee of Missing Persons has immediate and unhindered access to all military areas in the occupied part of Cyprus. We call upon Trkiye to implement all judgements of the European Court of Human Rights as per its international obligations, and to pay the Just
Satisfaction awarded by the European Court of Justice to the families of the missing persons, as well as the enclaved residents of the Karpas peninsula” she said.
Closing her speech, ambassador Michail pointed out that Turkish Cypriots themselves are also subjected to rights violations under Turkey’s control, including restrictions on freedom of expression and pressure on their cultural identity. She concluded by urging the international community and the United Nations to hold Turkey accountable for its ongoing occupation and violations.
Source: Cyprus News Agency