Family members of Shimon Aykut staged a protest outside the United Nations headquarters in New York, demanding the release of the 75-year-old property developer who has been detained by Cypriot authorities for over one year on charges of illegal exploitation of Greek Cypriot properties in the occupied north.
The demonstration coincided with President Christodoulides’ visit to New York for an informal five-party summit on the Cyprus problem convened by the UN Secretary-General. Protesters decorated a van with messages and distributed leaflets claiming Aykut is being held as a “political hostage” and allegedly denied life-saving cancer treatment.
The family maintains that Aykut lived and operated in the occupied areas of Cyprus for over 20 years, earning respect from both communities on the island. They assert his investments were legitimate and that no authorities challenged their legality for decades.
The van displayed messages stating Aykut must be released “before it’s too late,” accompanied by medical references claiming his life is in danger. Loudspeakers mounted on the vehicle broadcast various appeals for his release.
Family representatives repeated previous assertions that the 75-year-old suffers from cancer and requires immediate medical intervention. They characterised his detention as politically motivated and claimed he has been denied a “fair trial” during his imprisonment exceeding one year.
Shimon Mistriel Aykut is a Turkish-Israeli property developer and the founder of the Afik Group, an international construction company established in 1995. He holds Turkish, Israeli, and Portuguese passports.
Aykut’s arrest relates to activities in the occupied north where he allegedly conducted unauthorised property development and exploitation. The charges stem from Republic of Cyprus laws regarding property rights of displaced Greek Cypriots following the 1974 invasion.
The Turkish Cypriot leadership, including Ersin Tatar, frame the detention as targeting the community’s economic interests.
Read more:
