Early day motion · EDM 54 · 23 Jan 1997

ILLEGAL KILLINGS IN CYPRUS

Tabled by Sir Keith Speed (Conservative) 17 signatures

The motion

leave out from `House' to end and add `regrets the deaths and injuries which have recently occured in the United Nations Buffer Zone in Cyprus, and endoreses the view of UN envoy Gustav Feissel that "It was the resposibility of the Greek Cypriot Government to ensure that the cease-fire line was not violated." Regrets in particular the incident on 8th September 1996 when two young Turkish Cypriot national-servicemen, Privates Allahverdi Kilic and Burhan Cihangir were shot by night, resulting in the death of Private Kilic and injury of Private Cihangir; regrets also the abduction of Turkish farmer, Erkan Egmez from his field, and torture by Greek Cypriot police; recalls the US State Department report of 5th March 1996 that "Egmez appears to have been severly beaten in the period during and immediately after his arrest and eventually required ten days of hospitalisation, and that according to some eye-witnesses hooded police officials continued beating him even as he was being admitted to hospital."; and agrees with the Cyprus Mail, 13th August 1996, that the Greek Cypriot government's handling of the whole matter has been naive, indecisive, and irresponsible, and that the bloody clashes had given the message abroad that the two communities cannot live together, and that the presence of Turkish troops in Cyprus was necessary.".

Source: the official Early Day Motions database.