Nicosia, Cyprus. A monument will be built in memory of the victims of sexual violence during and after Turkey’s invasion of Cyprus in 1974, non-profit organisation Zoe vs War Violence announced on Friday. The announcement coincided with June 19, observed by the United Nations as the International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict.
Memorial plans announced
The planned construction of the monument was announced during an event held at the presidential palace after the cabinet approved the plans on Wednesday. Zoe vs War Violence said Nicosia mayor Charalambos Prountzos had also supported placing the monument in a central location in the capital.
Remarks at the event
Member of the European Parliament Loukas Fourlas of Disy attended the event and welcomed the plans for the monument. He said there are times when politics meets the courage of people who decide to speak the truth, even if they had to wait half a century to be heard.
He said the event was held to honour women who experienced the horrors of war and were targeted because they were women, carrying trauma, fears and wounds from the Turkish army in 1974 that never healed.
Focus on strength and recognition
Fourlas said he did not want only to speak about the women’s pain, but also about their strength. He said there can be no real justice when people remain invisible and no historical memory when stories have never been told.
He said that although he had been in wars, covered human tragedies as a journalist and met people who had lost everything, hearing Cypriot women describe their experiences in 1974 made him realise he had been wrong to think he had already heard the most difficult accounts.
Testimonies described as deeply moving
Fourlas said the women’s accounts were not simple descriptions of events, but cries from the past and memories buried for decades. He said they were reliving the darkest moments of their lives in front of those present.
He added that he remembered the pauses, the looks and the silence in the room, and said even the translators struggled to continue at times and had to hold back their tears. He said they were not only translating words, but also pain, half a century of silence and the truth.