The new parliamentary year at the European Parliament has begun with an important development for Cyprus, following the approval by the Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality (FEMM) of an amendment proposed by the European People’s Party (EPP) MEP Loukas Fourlas, who serves as the Shadow Rapporteur on the FEMM budget.
The amendment calls on the European Commission, in cooperation with the Republic of Cyprus, to provide funding for the construction of a memorial honouring the victims of sexual violence during the 1974 Turkish invasion of Cyprus.
In July the European Parliament also adopted a resolution calling for accountability and survivor support for the victims of sexual violence during the 1974 Turkish invasion of Cyprus, with a total 575 votes in favour 33 against and 43 abstentions.
According to a press-release by Fourlas’s office, he stressed that obtaining approval for the amendment is only the beginning and that efforts will now focus on putting the proposal into practice.
He further emphasised that Europe has a responsibility to remember the women who suffered sexual violence during the events of 1974, arguing that their experiences should not be reduced to a footnote in history. Preserving their memory, he said, is essential to ensuring that the historical truth is recognised and remembered.
According to Mr Fourlas, the proposed memorial would go beyond simply commemorating the victims. It would also serve as a tangible acknowledgement of their suffering and of the historical events surrounding the Turkish invasion of Cyprus.
Fourlas stressed that securing justice for victims, preserving their memory and ensuring that historical facts are properly recognised are not responsibilities confined to the past. They also represent a duty to future generations, he said.
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.
