In an unprecedented move, a group of Turkish Cypriots has handed a formal letter to the President of the Republic of Cyprus, Nikos Christodoulides, urging him to file a case against Turkey at the International Criminal Court in The Hague.
The initiative comes from the “Cypriots for Peace and Solidarity Movement” and was delivered just ahead of the upcoming informal Cyprus talks in New York.
Serious allegations against Turkey
The letter accuses Ankara of orchestrating a systematic campaign of population transfer, demographic manipulation, and political oppression in the occupied northern part of Cyprus. It describes Turkey’s actions as a violation of the Geneva Conventions, international law, and even ethnic cleansing. According to the document, Turkey has exceeded its role as a guarantor power and turned the northern territory into a full-fledged colony.
The five core demands
The Turkish Cypriot group outlines five main demands to the Republic of Cyprus:
- Appeal to The Hague: Initiate proceedings against Turkey for the illegal transfer of population and demographic changes in the occupied areas.
- UN-Supervised Census: Conduct an international census to distinguish between legal Turkish Cypriot citizens and illegal settlers.
- Denounce Settlement Policies: Expose Turkey’s actions as a blatant violation of democratic and human rights.
- End Secessionist Practices: Pressure Turkey to halt its control over the occupied territories and restore local political autonomy.
- Challenge Election Results: Discredit upcoming “elections” in the north as illegitimate and manipulated by Ankara.
Focus on human rights violations
The letter also highlights Turkey’s crackdown on dissent within the occupied territories. It specifically references the case of Sener Levent, a well-known Turkish Cypriot journalist and regime critic, who has been sentenced by a Turkish court and may be extradited to serve time in Turkey.
A political call to action
The movement concludes with a strong political appeal to President Christodoulides to abandon diplomatic niceties and take bold action in defense of the political rights of all Cypriots. They argue that no negotiations for the reunification of the island can succeed without genuine representation of the Turkish Cypriot community.
