Greek MEP Eleonora Meleti of the EPP group will hold a press conference on Wednesday in Strasbourg, following a vote on the resolution calling for accountability for the perpetrators and support for the survivors of the 1974 Turkish invasion of Cyprus.
The vote will take place during the voting session in the French European Parliament seat on the same day, which starts at noon.
Background
During the Turkish invasion of Cyprus, it is estimated that Turkish forces systematically raped over 1000 Greek Cypriot women.
In July of 1976 the European Commission of Human Rights ECtHR (the former investigatory body for the court) adopted its formal report on the subject. It found that rape and other violence by Turkish troops were not isolated incidents, but rather constituted inhuman treatment and violated the European Convention on Human Rights.
Since then, there have been a number of rulings by the ECtHR which ever since May of 2001 has held Turkey legally responsible for ongoing human rights violations concerning missing persons, displaced individuals, and the living conditions of Greek Cypriots in the occupied territories.
Previous resolution
More recently, the European Parliament’s Women’s Rights and Gender Equality Committee last month adopted a resolution on the impact of the 1974 Turkish invasion on Cypriot women and girls, calling for accountability, survivor support and women’s participation in peace processes.
The text was adopted by 28 votes in favour and four against, with one abstention.
The resolution condemns the continued Turkish occupation of Cyprus and the crimes committed by Turkish forces, underlining 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 condemns the use of sexual violence as a weapon, which it describes as a grave breach of the Geneva Conventions, and calls for recognition, accountability, redress and comprehensive support for survivors and their families.
MEPs called for the full, equal and meaningful participation of Cypriot women in all peace processes. They also backed the initiative for a monument in Nicosia to women victims of sexual violence, and the formal recognition of victims’ testimonies.
Rapporteur Eleonora Meleti (EPP, Greece) 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.
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