Greek Cypriot side has ‘failed to bring mass murderers to justice’

THE Greek Cypriot side has failed to prosecute those behind the enforced disappearances and mass murders of Turkish Cypriots in the 1960s and 1970s, despite knowing who the perpetrators are, President Ersin Tatar has said.

Mr Tatar made the comments to members of the United Nations Working

Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances, as part of their trip to Cyprus on April 7, a statement released by his office on Tuesday said.

During the meeting, Mr Tatar explained that Turkish Cypriot missing persons were mostly civilians who were abducted from their homes, workplaces, and hospitals by Greek Cypriot police and militia between 1963 and 1974, while most of the Greek Cypriot casualties were soldiers.

He underlined his support for the work to locate and identify missing persons, saying that the Turkish Cypriot side will continue to fulfil its duties and responsibilities on the matter, and informed the group about the contributions made by the TRNC to the Committee on Missing Persons (CMP).

Mr Tatar pointed out that the Greek Cypriot side is attempting to prevent the international community from locating Turkish Cypriot missing person remains, and is spreading “propaganda” that gives the impression that there are only Greek Cypriot missing persons in Cyprus.

He noted that a mass grave of Turkish Cypriots in the village of Atlılar is yet to be exhumed due to Greek Cypriot “obstruction tactics”, and set out what he believes needs to be done in order for the Greek Cypriot side to make up for its deficiencies and fulfil its responsibilities.

President Tatar said he concurred with the working’s group’s findings — previously reported by Cyprus Today — that the CMP’s work could be sped up by using available information, and that the issue of missing persons should not be politicised.

He slammed the Greek Cypriot side’s refusal to “instigate legal proceedings against those accused of taking part in massacres in Cyprus”, according to the TRNC Presidency, emphasising that Turkish Cypriots had given statements to the

Greek Cypriot police “that have not been acted upon”.

Concerning the potential establishment of a “truth mechanism” regarding missing persons, Mr Tatar noted that the European Court of Human Rights has previously said that establishing such a mechanism in place of investigations on both sides of the island would not be in accordance with the European Convention on Human Rights.

Referring to the issue of irregular migration, Mr Tatar noted that he had made a proposal to the Greek Cypriot side to establish a joint mechanism to cooperate on the issue over a year ago, but that the Greek Cypriot side has yet to provide any “positive feedback” to this offer.

On Tuesday the Associated Press correspondent in South Cyprus reported that the Greek Cypriot administration is planning to install an “electronic surveillance system” along the buffer zone that divides the island to “stem a surge in illegal immigration” via the TRNC.