ReturnToFamagusta

Famagusta under Turkish occupation since 1974

[Lobby for Cyprus @LobbyforCyprus]

14 August 1974: Turkey launches its second brutal invasion of the Republic of Cyprus. 🇨🇾

On 9 August 1974, a ‘Conference on Cyprus’ began in Geneva under the auspices of the United Nations. At the conference, the government of Cyprus rejected an obscene ultimatum by the Turkish government to concede and depopulate approximately 34% of the republic's territory – an area Turkey demanded be vacated within 24 hours.

On 14 August 1974, less than an hour after the Turkish government scuppered the talks, it launched its second and even more barbaric invasion. Turkish forces rapidly extended their zone of illegal occupation from roughly 3% (held since July 1974) to a massive scale, forcibly displacing approximately 170,000 Cypriot citizens of Greek and Christian origin (almost one third of the Greek population).

To this day, Turkey unlawfully occupies 36% of the territory and 57% of the coastline of the Republic of Cyprus.

‘In the second phase of the peace negotiations at Geneva between 8 and 14 August, the Turkish delegation made up of Turkey’s Foreign Minister Mr. Gunesh and the Turkish Cypriot leader Mr. Denktash, after a series of vain attempts to impose their terms on the Greek side through diplomacy, abandoned all pretext and issued their well-known ultimatum: they demanded that the Greek Cypriot side concede an area in Northern Cyprus [sic] amounting to 34% of the whole territory of Cyprus. They further demanded that this area be vacated by the Greek Cypriot population and the National Guard within 24 hours…

On 14 August, less than an hour after the failure of the talks, once again at dawn, began the second and more terrifying phase of the Turkish military operations against Cyprus.’
– ‘Cyprus: Dies Irae’, published 1975

#Cyprus #Δενξεχνώ

[Lobby for Cyprus @LobbyforCyprus]

Solomos Solomou: Murdered for saying 'no’ to Turkish occupation.

Thirty years ago today, on 14 August 1996, protester Solomos Solomou was murdered by Turkey and its subordinate illegal occupation regime.

He was shot as he attempted to climb a flagpole to remove the flag of the illegal occupiers, beyond the UN-administered ‘buffer zone’.

The killing occurred following the funeral of his cousin Tassos Isaak, who was murdered on 11 August by a mob of Turkish occupation forces and other ultra-nationalists.

Both men were internally displaced Cypriots, forced from their homes in Famagusta during the second 1974 Turkish invasion.

The occupation regime’s so-called ‘Agriculture Minister’ Kenan Akin (an illegal Turkish colonist) and the so-called ‘Chief of Special Forces’ Erdal Emanet were filmed shooting Solomos in the face, neck and stomach.

Turkish occupation forces also wounded 11 civilians and two members of the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus, when they opened fire indiscriminately into the crowd of protesters.

The European Court of Human Rights heavily condemned Turkey. The Court ruled that Turkey violated Article 2 (right to life) of the European Convention on Human Rights and that it ‘failed to carry out an effective criminal investigation into the circumstances surrounding the death of Solomos Solomou’.

Turkey’s foreign minister bellowed: ‘We will break the hands that are raised against the flag’.

Despite identification, arrest warrants and Interpol Red Notices, the murderers of Tassos Isaak and Solomos Solomou remain at large.

Solomos Solomou (1970-1996).
The struggle for justice continues.

#SolomosSolomou #ΣολωμόςΣολωμού

[Lobby for Cyprus @LobbyforCyprus]

International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances, 30 August 2025 @UN

The plight of the families of the ‘disappeared’ of #Cyprus continues. The right to know the fate of victims must include thorough and impartial investigation into all cases of disappearance.

Turkey must abide by human rights law and sign the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance.

#StandUp4HumanRights #EnforcedDisappearance

https://t.co/PgLIu49eTi

[Lobby for Cyprus @LobbyforCyprus]

#CyprusWildfires: urgent appeal. Our deepest sympathy and support goes to all those affected by the catastrophic wildfires in Limassol District, #Cyprus. Donations can be made to support victims via the official Republic of Cyprus account. For details: https://t.co/wmb4nkazEH

[Lobby for Cyprus @LobbyforCyprus]

United Nations-sponsored Geneva meetings on #Cyprus must pave the way for talks based on a just and sustainable settlement that upholds the rule of law @UN #UN
https://t.co/7oCPphElRS

[Lobby for Cyprus @LobbyforCyprus]

50 years ago on 20 July 1974: '#TURKEY invaded #Cyprus by sea and air… paratroops controlled the northern part of the capital, Nicosia… The Turkish invasion began when the seaborne assault force landed at #Kyrenia… with the invasion came the jets' #FreedomforCyprus #Δενξεχνώ

[Lobby for Cyprus @LobbyforCyprus]

#InternationalDayoftheDisappeared Plight of families of disappeared of #Cyprus continues. Right to know must include investigation into all cases. Turkey must abide by human rights law & sign ICPPED convention for protection from #EnforcedDisappearance https://t.co/i2V4nlnRzZ

[Uzay Bulut @bulutuzay_]

Turkey became a member of NATO in 1952.

22 years later, on July 20, 1974, Turkey invaded the Republic of Cyprus, and to this day continues illegally to occupy 36% of the island. Turkey has ethnically cleansed non-Turks from the northern part of Cyprus. https://t.co/d88Ljs2h6d

[Lobby for Cyprus @LobbyforCyprus]

2/2 A survivor’s testimony of the brutality of Turkish invading troops in #Cyprus, 1974: ‘I saw a man being shot… he fell to the ground… A young woman they were chasing to rape… they took my baby from her, threw it aside and raped her’. From Our wall /Το τείχος μας /Duvarimiz

[Lobby for Cyprus @LobbyforCyprus]

1/2 Horrors of the 1974 Turkish invasions of #Cyprus: mass murder, torture, rape. ‘“No”, said the [Turkish] officer. “You will all be executed”… He gave the order… They hit us with rifle butts… they started shooting.’

[Lobby for Cyprus @LobbyforCyprus]

1974-2023: The Republic of #Cyprus suffers 49 years of illegal Turkish occupation, ethnic cleansing, colonisation, cultural destruction, apartheid… Refugees and IDPs denied right to return. Turkey continues to act with impunity #FreedomForCyprus #Δενξεχνώ https://t.co/CfaaiS96cx

[Lobby for Cyprus @LobbyforCyprus]

#OTD 20 July 1974 '#TURKEY invaded #Cyprus by sea and air… paratroops controlled the northern part of the capital Nicosia…tanks reported to be 16 miles from the city… #Kyrenia landings were preceded by heavy shelling and with invasion came the jets' #FreedomforCyprus #Δενξεχνώ

[Lobby for Cyprus @LobbyforCyprus]

#OTD 15 July 1974. Coup sponsored by Athens junta attempts to overthrow #Cyprus government. President Makarios rumoured to have been killed. 5 days later #Turkey uses coup as pretext to implement pre-existing plan to invade, occupy and ethnically cleanse 36% of Republic of Cyprus

[Lobby for Cyprus @LobbyforCyprus]

https://t.co/eg4sOLsVe0
#Famagusta: Shattered lives will address ongoing, systematic, discriminatory, illegal post-1974 attempts by Turkey to transform Famagusta and entire Turkish-occupied north of Republic of #Cyprus into a de facto province of Turkey. @TTechnis 19 July 2023

[Lobby for Cyprus @LobbyforCyprus]

On #ArmenianGenocide Memorial Day we commemorate the 1.5m Armenians murdered at the hands of the Ottoman Empire and emerging nation of #Turkey. We call on all states to recognise this state planned mass destruction of the Armenians as #Genocide. #1915neveragain #genocide1915

[Lobby for Cyprus @LobbyforCyprus]

Χριστός Ανέστη. Xρόνια πολλά σε όλους με υγεία #ChristIsRisen #ΧριστοςΑνεστη #GreekEaster #OrthodoxEaster

[Lobby for Cyprus @LobbyforCyprus]

We honour the heroes who liberated #Greece from tyrannical occupation by the Ottoman Turkish Caliphate & Empire; & pay tribute to Hellenes of #Cyprus who contributed to the Greek Revolution. Freedom came to Greece. Cyprus awaits liberty & justice #25ηΜαρτίου #GreekIndependenceDay

[Lobby for Cyprus @LobbyforCyprus]

48 years on since the second invasion of #Cyprus by #Turkey of 14 Aug 1974: it is time for the double standards displayed by Permanent Members of the UN Security Council to come to an end. Open letter to #UNSC & @UN Secretary-General @antonioguterres https://t.co/PWh3sOikAm

[Lobby for Cyprus @LobbyforCyprus]

26 years ago 11Aug1996: #TassosIsaak murdered by #Turkey’s occupation forces, #colonists, ultra-nationalists in #UN ‘buffer zone’ #Cyprus. #ECHR judgment 553: he was kicked & beaten ‘on every part of his body & his head with metal & wooden batons’ for 5 mins. Graphic content.

[Lobby for Cyprus @LobbyforCyprus]

#OTD 20 July 1974 '#TURKEY invaded #Cyprus by sea and air… paratroops controlled the northern part of the capital, Nicosia. A column of Turkish tanks was reported to be 16 miles from the city…#Kyrenia landings were preceded by heavy shelling and with the invasion came the jets'