Iranians living in Cyprus on Thursday called on the House of Representatives to issue a statement of solidarity with the people of Iran who are protesting peacefully.
At midday, members of the Iranian community held a protest outside the House of Representatives and delivered a written memorandum outlining their demands to House President Annita Demetriou.
Targeted sanctions
In the memorandum, they also call for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to be designated as a terrorist organisation at European level. They further urge the House to propose targeted sanctions against political, military, judicial and prison officials.
The group also called on the Cypriot parliament to take the initiative for an international and independent investigation into alleged violations, to apply diplomatic pressure on the Iranian authorities, to suspend the operation of the Iranian embassy in Nicosia, and to halt all forms of bilateral cooperation until a ceasefire is achieved.
Unjustly killed
Delivering the memorandum, President of the Iranian Community of Cyprus Alexis Mahtavi addressed Demetriou directly, asking for her support. He urged Cyprus’ political leadership to condemn the actions of the Iranian authorities and to prevent further loss of life.
Mahtavi said people in Iran are being killed unjustly and stressed that the scale of the deaths is secondary to the fact that civilians are losing their lives. He added that communication with relatives in Iran has been cut, with phone lines and internet access shut down.
House President Annita Demetriou said the House would stand by its principles and alongside “your people who are fighting for democracy and freedom”.
She said a resolution would be submitted to the House so that parliament could formally express its political support within its institutional framework. “Whatever you need, we are here,” she said.
Justice will prevail?
Demetriou added that Cyprus understands the struggle for freedom and democracy, given its own history. She said both the House of Representatives and she personally would stand in solidarity with the Iranian people.
She expressed confidence that justice would ultimately prevail and said that everyone must reflect on their responsibilities. “We will assume our responsibility, as we always do,” she said.
In closing, Mahtavi said he was relying on Cyprus and asked the House President to stand with the Iranian community.