MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION on mass graves of the missing persons of Ashia at Ornithi village in the occupied part of Cyprus

10.2.2015 - (2015/2551(RSP))

with request for inclusion in the agenda for a debate on cases of breaches of human rights, democracy and the rule of law
pursuant to Rule 135 of the Rules of Procedure

Laura Ferrara, Ignazio Corrao, Fabio Massimo Castaldo, Tiziana Beghin, Rosa D'Amato, Dario Tamburrano, Piernicola Pedicini, Rolandas Paksas on behalf of the EFDD Group

See also joint motion for a resolution RC-B8-0150/2015

B8‑0156/2015

European Parliament resolution on mass graves of the missing persons of Ashia at Ornithi village in the occupied part of Cyprus

(2015/2551(RSP))

The European Parliament,

–       having regard to its resolutions of 6 April 1995, of 15 March 2007 and of 18 June 2008 on the problem of missing persons in Cyprus,

–       having regard to the relevant resolutions of the United Nations Security Council in response to the Turkish invasion of Cyprus,

–       having regard to the relevant resolutions of the United Nations Security Council and the General Assembly on Cyprus and the international initiatives taken to investigate the fate of missing persons in Cyprus,

–       having regard to the judgments of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) of 10 May 2001 and of 14 May 2014 concerning missing persons in Cyprus,

–       having regard to the report of the Committee on Civil Liberties Justice and Home Affairs' delegation visit to Cyprus on December 2012,

–       having regard to Rule 103(2) of its Rules of Procedure,

 

A.     whereas the Turkish army invaded the Republic of Cyprus in 1974 in contravention of paragraph 1 of the United Nations Charter as stated in the UN Security Council resolution 283/74 adopted unanimously on 20 July 1974,

B      whereas the conflict that resulted in the Republic of Cyprus had dreadful consequences on the local population and resulted in serious humanitarian issues and violations of human rights, including deportation, sexual abuses and mass executions,

C      whereas as a result of the 1974 Turkish invasion of Cyprus the issue of missing persons in Cyprus has been going on for more than three decades and still is not solved,

D      whereas the issue of the missing persons in Cyprus needs to be addressed to ensure that full light is shed on the events and the grief of the families of missing persons, who have remained ignorant of their fate for decades, finally come to an end,

E      whereas in 1982 the United Nations General Assembly established the Committee on Missing Persons (CMP) in Cyprus an investigatory body to tackle the issue of the missing persons in Cyprus,

F      whereas the Turkish army occupied the village of Assia on 14 August 1974 and expelled its population setting up an army base extending over 3 square kilometres where the 28th Mobile Infantry Division is stationed,

G      whereas as a result of the Turkish occupation of the village of Assia 83 persons were deported and their fate is still unknown,

H      whereas the CMP investigation in the Ornithi area on the outskirts of Assia village found the remains of many civilians dumped in a series of mass graves and confirmed by DNA testing that they belong to the list of civilians captured in Assia following the occupation of the Assia viallage in August 1974,

I       whereas the ECHR had found that Turkey violated Articles 2 (right to life), 3 (prohibition of torture and inhuman or degrading treatment) and 5 (right to liberty and security) of the European Convention on Human Rights and condemned Turkey to pay to the Republic of Cyprus € 30 million in respect of the non-pecuniary damage suffered by the relatives of the missing persons,

 

1.      Calls on the parties concerned to cooperate sincerely and honestly on a speedy completion of the appropriate investigations into the fate of all missing persons in Cyprus within the framework of the CMP;

2.      Calls on the parties concerned and all those who have, or are in a position to have, any information or evidence emanating from personal knowledge, archives, battlefield reports or records of human right violations occurred during the conflict of 1974, in particular during the occupation of the Assia village without any further delay;

3.      Demands full accountability for the Assia facts that would contribute to resolve the missing persons issue helping the healing of old wounds and contributing to any future solution to the Cyprus issue;

4.      Calls on Turkey to fully implement its obligation following the decision of the ECHR to compensate the families of the missing persons,

5       Calls on the Council and the Commission to continue to actively follow the missing persons in Cyprus, continuing to provide financial assistance to the CMP, and take all necessary steps, in cooperation with the United Nations Secretary-General, to implement the aforementioned ECHR judgment and the relevant UN and European Parliament resolutions;

6       Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the Secretary-General of the United Nations and the governments of Cyprus, Turkey, Greece and the United Kingdom.