Civilian casualties and displacements during the Cyprus conflict

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

This article covers the civilian casualties and displacements that occurred between 1963 and 1975 – from the outbreak of the intercommunal fighting until the end of displacements following the Turkish invasion of Cyprus.

1963–64: Cypriot intercommunal violence

Main article: Cypriot intercommunal violence

On 21 December 1963, serious violence erupted in

Green Line). Turkish Cypriots call this period Bloody Christmas
.

Severe intercommunal fighting occurred in March and April 1964. When the worst of the fighting was over, Turkish Cypriots began moving from isolated rural areas and mixed villages into enclaves. Turkish Cypriots state[

TMT so that to apply uniformity. It is believed by progressive Cypriots that both events occurred. Before long, a substantial portion of the island's Turkish Cypriot population[citation needed] was crowded into the Turkish quarter of Nicosia and other enclaves, in tents and hastily constructed shacks[citation needed
]. Slum conditions resulted from the serious overcrowding.

Attempts of the

George Grivas, who claimed to be acting under a mandate given to Cyprus by the UN, to re-capture a beach-head at the Kokkina/Erenköy enclave which the Turkish Cypriots claimed was their last link with the outside world but the Greek Cypriots feared would be used as a landing post for Turkish mainland forces, caused an intervention by the Turkish Air Force. On 8 – 9 August, Turkey bombed the Tylliria
area for two days, resulting in the death of 33 Greek Cypriots and 230 injuries.

Pierre Oberling noted that according to official sources, the 1963–64 crisis resulted in the death of 364 Turkish Cypriots and 174 Greek Cypriots.[1] 209 Turkish Cypriots and 41 Greeks were reported as missing. Nearly 25,000 Turkish Cypriots, about one sixth of the Turkish Cypriot population at that time, had been forced to leave their homes to live into enclaves.[2] Finally, more than 3000 Armenian ethnics who had been living in the areas of Nicosia that came under the control of Turkish paramilitaries were forced out of their homes.[3]

1974: Coup d'Etat and the Turkish invasion

Further information: Turkish invasion of Cyprus and Turkish settlers in Northern Cyprus

With the coup d'état of 21 April 1967,

Colonels' Junta
.

On 15 July 1974, the Republic of Cyprus government was overthrown by the Greek Cypriot national guard acting under orders from the Greek

British army
.

On 20 July 1974, in response to the coup, Turkish troops landed near

Glafkos Clerides
took over the presidency as acting president, according to the 1960 Constitution.

In August of the same year, almost a month after the coup had dissolved the three guarantor powers, together with representatives of the two communities, met in Geneva. The Turkish Cypriots under

Glafkos Klerides – the Greek Cypriot representative – asked for 36 to 48 hours in order to consult with his superiors[who?]. While still in talks, a second Turkish invasion was launched on Cyprus. When a ceasefire was declared, more than 36% of the territory was occupied by Turkish forces. The ceasefire line of 1974 today still separates the two communities and is generally referred to as the Green Line (or the 'Atilla Line')
, and also runs through Nicosia, making it the only divided capital in the world.

The Turkish Army and the Greek side conducted policies ethnic cleansing in the territories that came under their respective control.[4][5] Turkey was found guilty by the European Commission of Human Rights for displacement of persons, deprivation of liberty, ill treatment, deprivation of life and deprivation of possessions.[6] The Turkish policy of violently forcing a third of the island's Greek population from their homes in the occupied North, preventing their return and settling Turks from the mainland there is considered an example of ethnic cleansing.[7][8][9][10][11]

In 1976 and again in 1983, the

European Convention of Human Rights. Turkey has been condemned for preventing the return of Greek Cypriot refugees to their properties.[12]
The European Commission of Human Rights reports of 1976 and 1983 state the following:

Having found violations of a number of Articles of the Convention, the Commission notes that the acts violating the Convention were exclusively directed against members of one of two communities in Cyprus, namely the Greek Cypriot community. It concludes by eleven votes to three that Turkey has thus failed to secure the rights and freedoms set forth in these Articles without discrimination on the grounds of ethnic origin, race, religion as required by Article 14 of the Convention.

military court.[13]

The European commission of Human Rights with 12 votes against 1, accepted evidence from the Republic of Cyprus, concerning the rapes of various Greek-Cypriot women by Turkish soldiers and the torture of many Greek-Cypriot prisoners during the invasion of the island.

Karpass Peninsula, a group of Turkish Cypriots, called a "death squad", reportedly chose young girls to rape and impregnated teenage girls.[citation needed] There were cases of rapes, which included gang rapes, of teenage girls by Turkish soldiers and Turkish Cypriot men in the peninsula, and one case involved the rape of an old Greek Cypriot man by a Turkish Cypriot. The man was reportedly identified by the victim and two other rapists were also arrested. Raped women were sometimes outcast from society.[18]
Greek Cypriot
Maratha, containing 126 dead civilians, including women and children (Maratha, Santalaris and Aloda massacre).[19] There is also evidence of the rape of Greek Cypriot women by Turkish soldiers.[20]

Legal challenges

In 1976 and in 1983 Cyprus challenged Turkey at the European Court of Human Rights over a number of issues, including missing civilian Greek Cypriots, of which Cyprus claimed there were at least 1491. The ECHR concluded that there was a presumption that Turkey had a responsibility for clarifying the fate of civilians last known to be under its control, but also that there was "no proof that any of the missing persons were killed in circumstances for which [Turkey] could be held responsible; nor did the Commission find any evidence to the effect that any of the persons taken into custody were still being detained or kept in servitude by [Turkey]".[21] A further 1994 case brought by Cyprus, on which judgement was made in 2001, concluded that Turkey continued to offer insufficient support in clarifying the fate of missing Cypriots.[21] Another case is the book war crimes written by Andreas Parashos claiming at least 180 reported missings are fake and forged by Cyprus state, and 40 of them are already buried to the graves before 74, he also admittedParashos ? killing 100 Turkish Cypriot civilians [22] A new case was brought in 2009, following comments by Turkish actor Atilla Olgac about committing war crimes during his service in Cyprus, although Olgac later retracted the remarks, saying he had been testing public reaction to a TV script.[23]

In 2006, owing to the potential huge number of lawsuits against Turkey, the European Court of Human Rights called on Turkey in December to find "effective domestic remedies" for the mass displacement of Greek Cypriots. The result was a property commission established by the Turkish Cypriots purportedly offering right of return of Greek Cypriot properties so long as the property was unoccupied, or not in an area of military significance. A small number of applicants have received compensation. The Greek Cypriots have refused to recognise the commission as a proper means of redress, with some politicians going as far to suggest treason for those who accept.[24] The European Court of Human Rights has ruled that the property commission does provide an adequate domestic remedy.[25]

Notes

  1. ^ Oberling, Pierre. The road to Bellapais (1982), Social Science Monographs, p.120: "According to official records, 364 Turkish Cypriots and 174 Greek Cypriots were killed during the 1963–1964 crisis."
  2. ^ Daily Express 28 December 1963
  3. ^ [1] Archived 23 November 2006 at the Wayback Machine
  4. ^ 1st Report of the European Commission of Human Rights; Turkey's intervention in Cyprus and aftermath (20 July 1974 – 18 May 1976) Archived 15 July 2007 at the Wayback Machine
  5. ^ 2nd Report of the European Commission of Human Rights; Turkey's intervention in Cyprus and aftermath (19 May 1976 to 10 February 1983) Archived 27 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine
  6. ^ European Commission of Human Rights, "Report of the Commission to Applications 6780/74 and 6950/75" , 　Council of Europe, 1976, p. 160,161,162,163.
  7. ISBN 0-253-21851-9
    .
  8. ISBN 0-275-96533-3
    .
  9. ISBN 978-1-889247-05-2
    , p. 236
  10. ISBN 978-1-85043-580-8
    , p. 147
  11. ISBN 978-0-19-820538-8
  12. ^ "JUDGEMENT IN THE CASE OF CYPRUS v. TURKEY 1974–1976". Archived from the original on 25 July 2011.
  13. ^ "Despite ruling, Turkey won't pay damages to Cyprus - Middle East Institute". www.mei.edu. Archived from the original on 1 September 2016. Retrieved 3 September 2018.
  14. ^ European Commission of Human Rights, "Report of the Commission to Applications 6780/74 and 6950/75" , 　Council of Europe, 1976, p. 120,124.
  15. ISBN 9780816621385
    .
  16. ISBN 9789041134387
    .
  17. ^ Cassia, Bodies of Evidence, p. 55.
  18. ^ Uludağ, Sevgül. "Turkish Cypriot and Greek Cypriot victims of rape: The invisible pain and trauma that's kept 'hidden'". Hamamböcüleri Journal. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 8 April 2015.
  19. ^ a b narrative from William Hale
  20. ^ European Commission of Human Rights, "Report of the Commission to Applications 6780/74 and 6950/75" , 　Council of Europe, 1976, p. 120,124.
  21. ^ a b Cyprus v. Turkey, 25781/94, Council of Europe: European Court of Human Rights, 10 May 2001, available at unhcr.org
  22. ^ Kıbrıs harekâtının faili meçhullerine fotoğraf kanıtı – Dünya Haberleri. Radikal.
  23. ^ The Independent, 29 January 2009, Turkish TV actor faces war crimes charges
  24. ^ Turkish land offer rejected by Greeks. Washington Times (25 June 2006).
  25. ^ Demopoulos & Ors -v- Turkey 1 March 2010

Further reading

See also

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Civilian_casualties_and_displacements_during_the_Cyprus_conflict&oldid=1189337036"