The tragedy of the missing persons and their families was described as the "most painful and painful wound of the Turkish invasion and ongoing occupation" by the Commissioner for the Presidency of the Republic of Cyprus, Fotis Fotiou.
Speaking at an event on "The Missing Persons of the Cyprus Tragedy", which took place in Athens, Fotiou noted that parents, spouses, siblings and children of the missing persons are completing the circle of their lives and leaving with unanswered questions about the fate of their loved ones.
At the same time, Fotiou recalled that Cyprus has filed four appeals against Turkey at the Council of Europe. "In its 2001 judgment, the Court condemned Turkey for violating a number of articles of the European Convention on Human Rights in relation to the rights of our missing persons and their relatives. But in subsequent judgments, such as the one in 2014, the ECtHR has again condemned Turkey for failing to meet its obligations. Turkey's mockery, denial and contempt for the judgments of the ECHR is a challenge not only for Europe but also for international legitimacy.
Of course Turkey has huge responsibilities, both moral, legal and political, and it should finally cooperate with sincerity and humanity to end the drama that the relatives have been experiencing every day for so many decades," he stressed.
Fotiou also noted that it cannot be left to Turkey's will alone to implement the condemnations, but the international community, the international justice system should be able to enforce them. "In this regard, the big question of the moment for the international community is also on the table: why two measures and two weights? Russia invaded Ukraine, wreaking havoc and destruction, and the whole world was mobilised. Measures upon measures and so on. At the heart of it, the human losses in terms of dead and missing persons, for which the international community as a whole is rightly reacting strongly. But why hasn't there been and still isn't the same degree of reaction in the case of Turkey's invasion of Cyprus and the ongoing violations of human rights in our country?"
The Commissioner stressed that if one looks at the history of the problem, as repeatedly presented to the Security Council, the General Assembly and the UN Human Rights Committee, as well as to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, the European Commission of Human Rights and the European Court of Human Rights, one will find many elements that clearly demonstrate the extent of Turkey's responsibilities.
Mr. Fotiou recalled that only 24 years after its establishment, in April 1981, has it been possible for the Missing Persons' Committee, which includes a representative of the United Nations, to start presenting some work, even if it is limited to handing over bones and in several cases individual bones, noting at the same time Turkey's non-participation in any of the relevant actions, as well as its refusal to present its records on missing persons or prisoners of war, as required. At the same time, however, we are not and cannot be satisfied with the pace and results to date. With sincerity and goodwill, our side is participating in the relevant efforts by facilitating the investigative work and making available to the Commission all the information at its disposal. However, this is not done by the occupying power for the cases of Greek Cypriots and Greek Greek missing persons that are pending before the Commission, and these are not few, they constitute about 50% of the cases that have been filed with the ICTY."
In conclusion, Mr. Photiou stressed that it is undoubtedly unacceptable, unacceptable and inhumane, 48 years after the Turkish invasion, to still be looking for missing persons. "But I want to assure you that, despite the difficulties and problems and the refusal of the occupying power to cooperate, we are continuing and intensifying our efforts to clarify the last case of our missing person. For this we are always cooperating closely with the Greek government, as well as with the organized groups of relatives. This is for us an obligation and a debt to our heroes and their families who fought and sacrificed defending the dignity, the sacred and the sacred of Greeks everywhere. We will not compromise or give in to the appetites and tactics of the occupying power. We will fulfill our duty towards our heroes and our history as our conscience and our duty dictates."
Source: CNA
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