Mavrides urges ICC action over alleged crimes in Cyprus

Strasbourg, France. Diko member of the European Parliament Costas Mavrides has called for the International Criminal Court to intervene on the Cyprus problem, accusing Turkey of war crimes and crimes against humanity on the island.

He told the European Parliament plenary session on Monday night that the court had taken no action since a case was filed in 2014.

Call for court intervention

“The International Criminal Court deals with war crimes and crimes against humanity. Two such crimes have been taking place for years on European Union territory,” Mavrides said.

He identified the alleged crimes as the “illegal settlement through the transfer of population from Turkey and the organised usurpation of Greek Cypriot properties in the occupied territory of the Republic of Cyprus”.

Mavrides said upholding the court’s jurisdiction was a paramount obligation for the European Union and that he had submitted a detailed document to the court calling for those responsible to be indicted.

2014 case

Mavrides was among the parties that filed a case against Turkey in 2014, alleging the direct and indirect transfer of the civilian population of an occupying power into occupied territory. The complaint was drafted in part by the Tel Aviv-based Shurat HaDin Israel Law Centre.

He said there was “self-evident proof” regarding the two alleged crimes, citing the population in the occupied territory of Cyprus and the organised usurpation of property.

“If the court fails to act in the face of such a clear-cut crime, its impartiality will be called into question,” he said.

Population concerns

State-sponsored population transfer from Turkey to Cyprus has not been in place since the 1980s, though figures from across Cyprus have warned of large recent influxes of people moving to the island.

Turkish Cypriot Kyrenia mayor Murat Senkul has said his town’s population is likely more than 150,000.