Cyprus: EU Parliament condemns detention of five Cypriots in pro-Turkish North

Brussels – “The European Union cannot tolerate the violation of the rights of its citizens. The detention of these people is unacceptable.” Unleashing the wrath of the European Commissioner for Democracy, Justice, Rule of Law and Consumer Protection, Michael McGrath, was the detention of five Cypriot citizens in the self-proclaimed pro-Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.

For the pro-Turkish authorities, the five individuals arrested on 19 July were dangerous spies; for the European Union, however, they were ordinary citizens. In today’s session, the Strasbourg plenary voted by a large majority (597 in favour with five abstentions) a resolution condemning the conduct of Northern Cyprus and calling on “Turkey to fully respect human rights as enshrined in international law.”

For MEPs, this aggressive attitude, carried out through “kidnappings, is intended to intensify the intimidation (of Northern Cyprus, ed) against Cyprus. Turkey intends to discourage the Cypriots from returning to their property in the occupied area.”

The arrest of the five ‘spies’ 

According to Greek Cypriot sources, this is the point. On 19 July, Antonis Louka, Andreas Kyprianou, Annie Kyprianou, Niki Gregoriou and Gregoris Gregoriou were on their way to their properties in occupied territory. Military police arrested the five while they were near their homes.

According to Turkish-Cypriot media, the group was stopped after entering a tourist resort in the Trikomo area without permission. During a search of the vehicle, the Turkish Cypriot police allegedly found numerous maps, real estate documents and files. That is why the military decided to proceed, justifying the detention as a case of “espionage against Turkish property” and “violation of a forbidden military zone.” Only yesterday, after heavy diplomatic pressure, three of the five detainees were released on bail.

On the island, situations like these are not new. The legislative short-circuit lies in the fact that the Republic of Cyprus is the only internationally recognised one and would therefore have legal control over the entire territory. In fact, however, this is not the case, as the pro-Turkish authorities have controlled the north of the country since 1974. Despite this, in theory, to protect the actions of the five citizens, there would be the 1996 ruling of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR). The Strasbourg judges had said that obstructing the Greek Cypriots’ right to benefit from property in the north of the country would be a violation of human rights. Northern Cyprus, of course, does not recognise the authority of the ECHR.

The relationship with Ankara

The resolution passed by the Parliament today is a strong signal of support for the authority in Nicosia. At the same time, it represents a moment of rupture with Ankara. The relationship between Brussels and Turkey has been souring recently. Already in May, the European Parliament had condemned Turkish aggression. The European Parliament had denounced the country’s democratic regression, exacerbated after the arrest of the mayor of Istanbul, Ekrem Imamoglu.