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- Ελληνικά
The tragedy of our missing persons is the greatest lingering wound of the Turkish invasion, which causes unbearable pain. It is the most tragic and painful consequence of the 1974 Turkish invasion. The pain is intensified by the continued occupation of our homeland for half a century now. It crushes us, debilitates us, overwhelms us, leaves us with prolonged heartache, without consolation. It is our national duty to work with all our strength, on the one hand, to ascertain the fate of all our missing persons and, on the other hand, to work to keep the memory of our missing persons unquenched.
The disappearance of every person whose fate remains unknown to this day constitutes multiple violations of basic and fundamental human rights not only for the missing person, but also for their loved ones, perpetuating their suffering, grief, mental anguish and utter misery for the fate of their loved ones, and the discovery of the truth. The serious violations of the human rights of the missing persons and their families are also recorded in the judgments of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) in the cases of Cyprus against Turkey, but also in the relevant reports of the Secretary-General and the Resolutions of the United Nations Security Council, the Resolution of 18 June 2008 on the missing persons in Cyprus, the report of the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (A6-0139/2008), international humanitarian law, together with We are aware of the obstacles from the Turkish army, which prevent new exhumations and thus identifications of our missing persons, especially in areas arbitrarily designated as military zones.
One of the most important changes we have promoted is the strengthening of the ability to secure information, by changing the procedures for its collection, using informant-friendly methods, away from the interrogative police profile. This has helped to create a climate of trust and security, prompting informants and/or victims to speak out without fear about what they have kept inside for decades, which has produced significant results in the last year.
We have emphasized and highlighted unseen aspects of our missing persons. For this reason, we compiled a list of the missing children of the Turkish invasion. A list of fallen and missing women who offered or sacrificed themselves for the homeland, women who suffered torture and experienced unimaginable atrocities at the hands of the Turks.
With regard to our missing children, we have created a Park of Missing Children, with the aim of honouring them and keeping their memory alive. The youngest was six months old and the oldest was 18 years old. A total of 36 children, 36 innocent victims of Turkish atrocities, of which only 20 were identified. The missing women of the Turkish invasion of 1974 total 118, of which 26 have been identified, and the fallen women total 248, of which 37 have been identified.
It is our obligation and a minimum recognition on the part of the state to register all, but all, of our people, including women, who contributed to the struggle and/or were victims of the Turkish invasion of 1974.
It is our obligation and a minimum recognition on the part of the state to register all, but all, of our people, including women, who contributed to the struggle and/or were victims of the Turkish invasion of 1974. The raped women, the fallen, the missing, the prisoners, the fighters constitute a special chapter of the Cypriot tragedy, they are the unseen aspect of the drama experienced by our homeland.
Women victims of the invasion constitute a special tragic figure in the history of Cyprus and the least we can do is to acknowledge their contribution and sacrifice. And those who are still alive should be supported in every way and by every means in order to alleviate the pain and the tragic memories they have carried for fifty years.
They are the unknown heroines and at the same time the unknown victims of the war. Those who, with bravery and courage, participated in their own way in the fight against the Turkish invader. The women who hid soldiers in their homes, who cared for soldiers hiding in caves, who provided nursing services, endangering their own lives. They are the women who remained in their villages, protecting their minor children, waiting for their husbands and children to return from the war. They are the definition of militancy, they are the most inexhaustible source of inspiration for new generations and a top role model for every Cypriot woman.
Tonight we are here to honour a woman-symbol, who reflects all women who, through their action, struggle and self-denial, managed to contribute to the struggle for justice and freedom.
Efrosini Proestou is the definition of the word heroism.
Euphrosini Proestou is the definition of the word heroism. And she may not be with us in earthly life, but her name will be written in gold letters next to the names of our country's heroes. She was trapped in Lapitho, but she was not deterred. Shortly afterwards, 12 soldiers, exhausted from fierce battles, arrived at her doorstep asking for help. She didn't think about it for a minute. The fear and the smell of death that lurked around her did not deter her. She led the 12 soldiers to a small cave and for a whole month she cared for them without fail, until she was captured by the Turks.
She was taken to the castle of Kyrenia, tortured, beaten, artificially drowned in the sea, mock executions, even dragged naked in the street to humiliate her, in an attempt by the Turks to make her confess about the soldiers she was guarding. Euphrosyne Proestou belonged to that generation that did not bend to horrible pain and the threat of death.
Not a word was elicited from her about the 12 soldiers who escaped capture and execution and all survived. One of them is Nikos Papanastasiou, who was rescued by Euphrosyne Proestou and is with us today. This event is held to honour the most modern heroine of Hellenism. Euphrosyne Proestou, the Lady of Lapithos. Our commitment to those who found themselves in the refugee camp is that we will not forget and will continue the struggle to return to our occupied lands. And I convey a clear message that we are persistently committed to this goal. George Seferis' lyrics 'Memory, wherever you touch it, hurts' capture the drama of the relatives of our missing persons, for whom, for half a century, time was frozen in that black summer of 1974. For the relatives of our missing persons, memory is an unbearable pain, an excruciating agony, an open wound, which can be soothed even a little with the discovery of the fate of each of our missing persons, but it cannot be closed. This wound is never closed.
In this effort no one can be absent. European University Cyprus plays an important role in supporting, enlightening and preserving the memory of our missing persons. Through the excellent cooperation that we have developed with the Rector and the community of the European University we highlight and further strengthen the human-centered aspect of the problem, as a special aspect of the Turkish atrocity of 1974.
The struggle to determine the fate of our missing persons needs the participation of all of us, requires continuous and correct enlightenment - information. Each and every one of us, of you in the university community, our students, wherever we are and at every opportunity that presents itself, must not forget the human drama that some among us are living, waiting to hear about the fate of their, and our, people. With this simple and unique contribution, we will keep the issue of our missing persons alive and relevant, a lever of pressure on those who can contribute to speeding up and completing the processes of establishing their fate and the truth.
(PM/AF/EP)
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