Turkish Cypriot activist Selma Eylem says she was contacted by “police” in the north and asked to give a statement about remarks she made to UN Secretary-General António Guterres on 28 July.
The request concerned comments about interference in the will of Turkish Cypriots, assimilation policies and the urgent need for a Cyprus settlement.
Request rejected after legal advice
According to Turkish Cypriot newspaper Yenidüzen, Eylem, a former president of the Cyprus Turkish Secondary Education Teachers’ Union (KTOEÖS), said a “police sergeant” from the “judicial affairs department” telephoned her and asked her to provide a statement.
“I asked whether there was an offence or a complaint, and he said there was not. He told me that he had an ‘official document’ in his possession. I replied that I would not go and ended the call,” Eylem said.
She subsequently contacted her lawyer, Öncel Polili. After speaking with the “police”, he advised her that there was no legal reason requiring her to provide a statement.
Remarks made during UN meeting
Eylem took part in a meeting between Guterres and civil society organisations on 28 July, during which she handed him a joint declaration by the Bicommunal Peace Initiative. The document was signed by 108 organisations.
She said she told the UN Secretary-General that the island’s division harms both communities, but that Turkish Cypriots were experiencing deeper consequences.
According to Eylem, she told Guterres that “the northern part of the island has been transformed into a sub-administration of Turkey”, that “assimilation policies” were being implemented and that Turkish Cypriots were “being turned into a minority through population transfers”.
“Our will has been taken away, and a solution is urgently needed for the island,” she said she told Guterres, calling on the United Nations to take the initiative rather than simply observe developments.
Claim of political pressure
Eylem described the request for a statement as “an attempt to exert political pressure”.
“There are some who are disturbed when these issues are discussed and when the realities are expressed,” she said.
Source: CNA
