Doc. 8712
10 April 2000

Violation of basic human rights of the enclaved population in the occupied area of Cyprus

Motion for an order

presented by MM. Demetriou, Christodoulides, Hadjidemetriou and others

This motion has not been discussed in the Assembly and commits only the members who have signed it

      The Assembly,

      Taking into account that more than three years have passed since the adoption of Resolution 1113 (1997) which said that the situation of the enclaved Greek Cypriots and Maronites "amounted to violations of human rights";

      Noting that despite the submission over the years of various motions by honourable members of this Assembly in relation to the violation of the human rights of Greek Cypriots and Maronites living in the occupied part of Cyprus, and despite the shocking statement made by the late Lord Finsberg before this Assembly in August 1996 that the measures imposed on the enclaved by the occupying regime amount to "demographic cleansing", no real progress has been made to improve the living conditions of the enclaved in the occupied part of the island;

      Shocked by the latest example of brutality against the enclaved, which was the murder of a 69-year old enclaved Greek Cypriot, Stelios Kharpas, in August 1999, who was not only shot dead but his body subsequently burned almost byond recognition by the perpetrators of the crime, who remain unpunished to this day;

      Deeply concerned by the findings of the European Commission of Human Rights in its report on Cyprus' Fourth Interstate Application Against Turkey on 4 September 1999 in which the Commission found Turkey to be in serious breach of Article 1 - Protocol 2, Article 2 - Protocol 1, Article 2 - Protocol 4, Article 8, Article 9, Paragraph 2 of Article 9 and Article 10 of the European Convention of Human Rights, illustrating the extent to which the human rights of the enclaved Greek Cypriots and Maronites have been undermined;

      Taking into account that the Commission also found that these discriminatory practices are specifically directed at Greek Cypriots, and to almost the same degree to Maronites, because of their ethnic origin, race and religion;

      Greatly alarmed by the aforementioned evidence of gross violation of the human rights of the enclaved Greek Cypriots and Maronites, and in order to improve the situation with no further delay,

      Instructs its Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights urgently to examine the situation and report back to the Assembly on its findings and on ways to improve the present state of human rights and living conditions of the enclaved living in the occupied part of Cyprus.

Signed : ¹

Demetriou, Cyprus, EPP/CD

Christoudoulides, Cyprus, UEL

Hadjidemetriou, Cyprus, SOC

Agius, Malta, EPP/CD

Arnau, Spain, SOC

Bartumeu Cassany, Andorra, SOC

Burataeva, Russia, NR

Calleja, Spain, SOC

Cox, United Kingdom, SOC

Cryer, United Kingdom, SOC

Diaz de Mera, Spain, EPP/CD

Err, Luxembourg, SOC

Etherington, United Kingdom, SOC

Gibula, Poland, SOC

Gonzalez-Laxe, Spain, SOC

Guirado, Spain, SOC

Jones, United Kingdom, SOC

Judd, United Kingdom, SOC

Laakso, Finland, UEL

Maltsev, Russia, UEL

Marmazov, Ukraine, UEL

Martelli, Italy, EPP/CD

Martinez Casan, Spain, EPP/CD

McNamara, United Kingdom, SOC

Meale, United Kingdom, SOC

Melnikov, Russia, UEL

O'Hara, United Kingdom, SOC

Pinggera, Italy, EPP/CD

de Puig, Spain, SOC

Rapson, United Kingdom, SOC

Risari, Italy, EPP/CD

Robol, Italy, EPP/CD

Roseta, Portugal, EPP/CD

Surjan, Hungary, EPP/CD

Szinyei, Hungary, EPP/CD

Ustiugov, Russia, EPP/CD

Vella, Malta, EPP/CD

Vis, United Kingdom, SOC

Wohlwend, Liechtenstein, EPP/CD

¹        SOC: Socialist Group

      EPP/CD: Group of the European People’s Party

      EDG: European Democratic Group

      LDR : Liberal, Democratic and Reformers’ Group

      UEL: Group of the Unified European Left

      NR: not registered in a group