Strasbourg, France. Greek MEP Eleonora Meleti of the EPP group will hold a press conference on Wednesday in Strasbourg following a European Parliament vote on a resolution calling for accountability for perpetrators and support for survivors of the 1974 Turkish invasion of Cyprus. The vote is scheduled during the voting session at the European Parliament’s French seat, which begins at noon the same day.
Resolution on impact of 1974 invasion
The resolution addresses the impact of the 1974 Turkish invasion on Cypriot women and girls. It calls for accountability, support for survivors and the participation of women in peace processes.
During the invasion, it is estimated that Turkish forces systematically raped more than 1,000 Greek Cypriot women.
European human rights findings
In July 1976, the European Commission of Human Rights, the former investigatory body for the ECtHR, adopted its formal report on the issue. It found that rape and other violence by Turkish troops were not isolated incidents, but constituted inhuman treatment and violated the European Convention on Human Rights.
Since then, a number of ECtHR rulings have held Turkey legally responsible, including since May 2001 for ongoing human rights violations concerning missing persons, displaced individuals and the living conditions of Greek Cypriots in the occupied territories.
Committee vote and provisions
Last month, the European Parliament’s Women’s Rights and Gender Equality Committee adopted the resolution by 28 votes in favour, four against and one abstention.
The text condemns the continued Turkish occupation of Cyprus and the crimes committed by Turkish forces. It underlines the lasting consequences for Cypriot women and girls, including conflict-related sexual violence, forced displacement, family separation, trauma, stigma and long-term social and economic harm.
It also condemns the use of sexual violence as a weapon, describing it as a grave breach of the Geneva Conventions, and calls for recognition, accountability, redress and comprehensive support for survivors and their families.
Calls for participation and recognition
MEPs called for the full, equal and meaningful participation of Cypriot women in all peace processes. They also supported an initiative for a monument in Nicosia to women victims of sexual violence and the formal recognition of victims’ testimonies.
Rapporteur Eleonora Meleti said the resolution delivered on a commitment made to survivors during the committee’s mission to Cyprus and ensured that the suffering and resilience of Cypriot women and girls was recognised at European level.
“The Cyprus issue is inseparable from the principles of international law and European values,” she said.