Human Rights in Turkish-Occupied Cyprus: Erdogan's Record and Its Implications for the Ankara NATO Summit

Announcement

Please join the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission for a hearing on human rights in Turkish-occupied Cyprus: Erdoğan's record on the eve of the NATO Summit.

Since Recep Tayyip Erdoğan became Prime Minister of Turkey in 2003 and later President in 2014, violations of human rights and the rule of law in the Turkish-controlled northern part of Cyprus have increased significantly. The U.S. Department of State’s annual Country Reports on Human Rights Practices have documented this, including in restrictions on freedom of assembly and expression, including pressure on journalists, critics, and civil society actors.

Leading international human rights organizations and legal experts have also expressed concern that under Erdoğan’s leadership the government of Turkey has stepped up its policy of promoting settlement from mainland Turkey into occupied northern Cyprus. This has significant implications for human rights, rule of law, and international humanitarian law, including Article 49 of the Fourth Geneva Convention, and broader United Nations frameworks addressing the Cyprus issue.

At the same time, longstanding concerns connected to Turkey’s 1974 military invasion of Cyprus and its continuing military presence remain unresolved. These include the fate of missing people, property claims of displaced people and their descendants, restrictions associated with the island’s continuing division, and issues repeatedly raised in U.N. Security Council resolutions and European Court of Human Rights judgments. Developments in and around Varosha (Turkish: Maraş) have been assessed in relation to U.N. Security Council Resolutions 550 (1984) and 789 (1992), which oppose resettlement of the area by anyone other than its inhabitants and envision administration under United Nations auspices. The Country Reports and other observers have also documented ongoing concerns regarding the destruction and abuse of Greek Cypriot cultural and religious heritage, including churches, monasteries, cemeteries, and other sites of historical significance.

The hearing will examine the Government of Turkey’s Cyprus policies under President Erdoğan within broader trends in foreign policy, including the human rights and humanitarian implications relating to nationalism, ongoing closure of Turkey’s border with Armenia and genocide denial, support for Azerbaijan’s aggression against Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenia, revisionist claims to large sea areas in the eastern Mediterranean, and its policies toward Europe.

The hearing will be held in person and is open to Members of Congress, congressional staff, the interested public, and the media. The hearing will be livestreamed via the Commission website. For any questions, please contact Mark Milosch (for Co-Chair Smith) or  Todd Stein (for Co-Chair McGovern).

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