Lobby for Cyprus

51 years of illegal Turkish occupation, injustice and impunity. On 20 July 1974 Turkey launched a brutal invasion of the Republic of #Cyprus, demonstrating that in its view, use of force is better than rule of law and that human dignity counts for nothing lobbyforcyprus.wordpress.com/2025/07/20/51y…

#HappyNewYear2026 from the team at Lobby for Cyprus. Wishing health, happiness and prosperity to all. In 2026 we pledge to continue campaigning for a unitary Republic of #Cyprus that is free from Turkish occupation without any forms of segregation along ethnic or religious lines and without discrimination against any Cypriot citizen. #ΚαλήΧρονιά με υγεία και ευτυχία. #HappyNewYear

Merry #Xmas2025 from the team at Lobby for Cyprus. We extend our best wishes to all for happiness, health, peace and prosperity this #Christmas and in the New Year. Καλά Χριστούγεννα σε όλους. #MerryChristmas 🎄

65 years of Cyprus independence On the 65th anniversary of Cyprus independence day, we reiterate to the international community that 36 per cent of the territory and 57 per cent of the coastline of the Republic of Cyprus tragically remain under illegal occupation by Turkey. We pledge to continue campaigning for a unitary Republic of Cyprus. We stand firm against Turkey’s ongoing authoritarianism, aggressiveness and lawlessness that endangers Cyprus, the remainder of the European Union and the wider western world. Long live the Republic of Cyprus. Χρόνια Πολλά Κύπρος! #Cyprus🇨🇾 #CyprusIndependenceDay

Three days of remembrance are recognised around the world by various parliamentary bodies and organisations, for the genocide of Greek subjects of the Ottoman Empire before, during and after World War I (1914-1923). April 6 – genocide of the Greeks of Eastern Thrace. Marks the day in 1914 that persecution of Greeks in the region intensified. 19 May – genocide of the Greeks of Pontus. Marks the day in 1919 when Turkish nationalist forces led by Mustafa Kemal landed in the city of Samsoun in Pontus, dramatically escalating the campaign of violence against the Pontic Greek population. 14 September – genocide of the Greeks of Asia Minor as a whole. Marks the destruction of the city of Smyrna in 1922. We are aware that some organisations and individuals take issue with separate days of remembrance. They argue the case that there should be one main day of remembrance for all Greek victims of genocide as they are collective victims of a single genocidal process by a common perpetrator.

@LobbyforCyprus 19th May is the Day

We will never forget the Greek Genocide – the systematic extermination of indigenous Greek populations from their ancestral homelands in Asia Minor, the Pontus region and eastern Thrace. The Greek Genocide was perpetrated by the government of the Ottoman Empire and the Turkish Nationalist movement under Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, which sought to eradicate Christian populations in order to create a homogeneous ‘Turkey for the Turks’. From the start of the genocide in 1914, Greeks in the Ottoman Empire were subjected to slaughter, death marches, starvation, conscription into brutal labour battalions, pillage and other atrocities. Survivors were forced to flee or were among the one million Greeks expelled in a population exchange in 1923. We honour the memory of the one million Greeks who were killed due to this Turkish genocidal policy, as well as the 1.5 million Armenians and 800,000 Assyrians who also lost their lives at the hands of the Young Turks and the Kemalists. The burning and destruction of the Christian quarters of the city of Smyrna by the Turks in September 1922 and the vast barbaric massacres of its Greek and Armenian population, remains a devastating symbol of this horrific period. We stand against the continued denial of this history. The Greek Genocide is a well-documented historical fact, yet its recognition remains elusive. Many major international bodies and nations are yet to officially acknowledge it. This lack of recognition compounds the trauma for the victims’ descendants, stands in the way of true accountability and represents a tragic and monumental failure to deliver justice. #GreekGenocide #AsiaMinor #Σμυρνη #SmyrnaHolocaust

Today, 14th September, is the Day of National Remembrance in commemoration of the genocide of Asia Minor Greeks by the Turkish state.  It stands as a solemn reminder to one of the great atrocities of the 20th century-massacres committed not against soldiers in battle, but against the indigenous Greek civilian population of Asia Minor, citizens of the Ottoman Empire, women, children, and the elderly who had lived in Anatolia for thousands of years.  The Great Fire of Smyrna was the peak of the Asia Minor Catastrophe, and the last phase of the Greek genocide. It was part of a broader campaign initiated by the Ottoman Empire’s Young Turk regime and later continued by Turkish nationalist forces under Mustafa Kemal Ataturk -an effort to eliminate Christian minorities and to forge an ethnically homogeneous Turkish state. Whereas up to 2 million Greeks lived in Asia Minor prior to World War I, there are less than 1,200 Greeks residing in Turkey today. Despite the overwhelming historical evidence, the Greek Genocide remains unrecognized by the EU, US, UK, and the United Nations-a silence that deepens the wound of memory and denies justice to its victims.

The FACTS about Turkey 🇹🇷 ⁦@piersmorgan⁩ ⁦@VDHanson⁩

The 'Septemvriana' anti-Greek pogrom: a night of terror in Constantinople, 6-7 September 1955 A brutal and organised pogrom targets the ancient, indigenous, Greek minority population in Turkey. For nine hours, Greeks are terrorised by violent mobs. Turkish nationalists are stirred up into an anti-Greek frenzy after a false flag operation spreads baseless rumours of an impending massacre in Cyprus. The riots suspiciously erupt when dynamite explodes in the Turkish consulate in Thessaloniki – at the house where Mustafa Kemal Atatürk was born. False reports blame Greeks. Approximately 30 Greeks are killed, 32 are seriously injured, 50-200 women are violated. Men, including a priest are forcibly circumcised. Priests are scalped and burned. Thousands of Greek properties are destroyed. Churches, homes, schools, businesses and cultural centres are devastated and looted. Rioters also attack in Smyrna. Armenians and Jews are also targeted. The pogrom accelerates the exodus of ethnic Greeks from Turkey. Their presence has never recovered. Between 1955 and 1960,the Greek population(once the majority) in the Constantinople area decreases from 65,000 to 49,000. Approximately 2,000 Greeks now remain. A Turkish consulate usher confesses to planting the explosive device. Compelling evidence shows the pogrom was orchestrated by Turkey's prime minister Menderes and intelligence organisations. During the Constantinople pogrom, Turks carried the ‘Kibris Türktür’ (‘Cyprus is Turkish’) placard and chanted slogans such as ‘Demolish and break the property of the infidels’. The pogrom had a political motive: to advance the Turkish government's position on Cyprus; and to intimidate and decimate the Greek population of Constantinople. After a 1960 military coup in Turkey, former prime minister Menderes and his hardline foreign secretary Zorlu are tried in court. They are accused of formenting the anti-Greek Constantinople pogrom, in order to impress the British government with Turkish intransigence at a tripartite conference on Cyprus, on 29 August to 7 September 1955 in London. Menderes and Zorlu are convicted and hung. In 2007, international law expert Alfred de Zayas characterised the Septemvriana pogrom as a ‘crime against humanity’, comparable to Germany’s Kristallnacht in 1938. He noted that it met the criteria for genocide due to the Turkish government’s demonstrable intent to destroy the Greek ethnic minority in Turkey. #Septemvriana

It was a warm September evening in 1955, in the heart of Constantinople, a city still echoing with the ghosts of its Greek Byzantine past. The Greek community, though diminished, thrived in neighborhoods like Pera and Fener, their lives woven into the city’s fabric through shops, churches, and schools. The Greek minority, already marginalized by years of discriminatory policies, felt the weight of suspicion. On September 6, a false report spread like a spark in dry grass: a bomb had allegedly damaged the Turkish consulate in Thessaloniki, near the house where Mustafa Kemal Atatürk was born. The bombing was a staged provocation, orchestrated by Turkish authorities to incite rage. By dusk, the city was a tinderbox. Mobs, organized and armed with clubs, knives, and gasoline, poured into the streets, targeting Greek homes, businesses, and churches. The government’s role was clear; lists of Greek properties had been prepared in advance, and the police stood by, complicit or indifferent. Dimitris, a baker in Beyoğlu, is locking up his small shop. Suddenly, a roar of voices fills the air. A crowd, chanting Kemalist slogans, smashes his windows, looting everything; shelves, ovens, even family photos. Down the street, Eleni, a widow running a grocery, watches helplessly as her store is set ablaze. The mob moves with precision, targeting Greek-owned properties with chilling efficiency. Churches, like the Zoodochos Pigi in Balat, are desecrated; holy icons are shattered, and altars burned. The Greek cemetery in Şişli is vandalized, graves defiled in an orgy of destruction. 4,348 Greek businesses, 110 hotels, 27 pharmacies, 23 schools, and 73 churches were damaged or destroyed. At least 11 people were killed, though some sources claim up to 15, with hundreds injured and numerous women assaulted. The violence wasn’t random; it was a calculated assault, fueled by propaganda and enabled by state inaction. The mobs, often transported from outside Constantinople, carried out their rampage over two days, September 6–7, leaving the Greek community in ruins. The pogrom was a death knell. Many lost everything; homes, livelihoods, security. The psychological toll was immense; the exodus of Greeks from Turkey, reduced a once-vibrant community of over 150.000 to fewer than 2.000 (maybe more) today. As dawn broke on September 7, Constantinople became "Istanbul". The last Greeks, descendants of those who found the City, who built the city, who defended the City, who had history in this City, were expelled from their ancestral homeland. Streets were littered with broken glass and shattered dreams. The Greek community, a cornerstone of the city’s history, was left to pick up the pieces. That was, the anti-Greek "Istanbul pogrom" that took place on 6–7 September 1955. How can we forget all the thing they did to us? They came and they expelled Greeks from their homes. Constantinople, Asia Minor, Cappadocia, Pontus, Cyprus, Ionia. We will never forget, everything they did to us. We will never coexist with them.

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 un.org/en/observances…

Tickets are still available for screening of two films from #Cyprus: 'When the Swallows Fall Silent' & 'Milk – Rose short film' 2 Sep 2025 18:30 @arthouseN8 London (in Greek with English subtitles). Media sponsors @LGR1033 & @LobbyforCyprus Info/booking: arthousecrouchend.co.uk/programme/?pro…

UN & EU’s SHOCKING IGNORANCE🚨 Five pensioners were abducted by Turkish forces in occupied Cyprus on July 19 and remain being held hostage since then. These vulnerable pensioners are enduring appalling conditions, crammed into dungeon-like cells without air conditioning during Cyprus’ brutal summer heat, denied proper medical care, and isolated from their families. Their detention has been extended multiple times, with no sign of release in sight. The Republic of Cyprus is proceeding with legal action at the European Court of Human Rights, condemning this as a blatant violation of international law. Where is the outrage from the EU and UN? The EU remains deafeningly silent while quietly pushing for closer ties with Turkey, potentially via the back door into the EU, despite Ankara’s notorious human rights abuses, refusal to recognize Cyprus as a sovereign EU nation, and ongoing violation of its territorial integrity. This hypocrisy undermines the very principles of the Union. The UN fares no better, tiptoeing around Turkey to avoid upsetting a NATO “ally”, instead perpetuating a narrative that blames Greek Cypriots for the stalemate in peace talks. Justice demands action now, not excuses. We demand the immediate and unconditional release of these five hostages, their lives hang in the balance. Pressure the EU and UN to hold Turkey accountable and end this 51 year-old illegal occupation. @antonioguterres @Keir_Starmer @EmmanuelMacron @GiorgiaMeloni @sanchezcastejon @realDonaldTrump

"The EU continues to fund the Turkish-occupied part of Cyprus despite ongoing breaches of international law by its self-declared authorities." - @bulutuzay_ writes in our latest👇 europeanconservative.com/articles/analy…

The recent illegal visit of British MP Afzal Khan to the areas of the Republic of Cyprus occupied by Türkiye, as well as his meeting with Mr Ersin Tatar, were unacceptable and provocative actions. They triggered a coordinated reaction and clear condemnation by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Cyprus, as well as by a number of political figures, on a bipartisan level, in the United Kingdom. There was also mobilisation in this direction from the leadership of our diaspora community. The subsequent resignation of the MP from his position as Trade Envoy for Türkiye is an important development, which at this particular time has an even greater significance. As a result, the sound message is being sent that there is no room for tolerance, nor any possibility of a subdued reaction on our part. Furthermore, the decisions of the UN Security Council regarding the illegal entity are binding on the international community. Finally, it is clear from the outcome that there must and can be political consequences for the illegality and in relation to the subordinate entity, especially for those who harbor, assist, or tolerate it.

'The second Turkish invasion of Cyprus in 1974: a blatant violation of the norms of civilised conduct' Lobby for Cyprus statement to mark the 2nd phase of Turkey's illegal land grab of Republic of #Cyprus territory in 1974. #FreedomforCyprus #Δενξεχνώ lobbyforcyprus.wordpress.com/2025/08/14/sec…

The Republic of Cyprus condemns, in the strongest terms, the ongoing, blatantly unlawful, provocative, and inhumane detention, by the Turkish military occupying regime, of five citizens of the Republic of Cyprus. The occupying regime disregards every notion of justice and aims, through abduction and hostage-taking, to escalate intimidation as well as to target and influence those who choose to address the so-called Immovable Property Commission in the occupied areas. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has lodged relevant complaints, démarches, and representations, both at the level of the United Nations and within the framework of the EU, as well as with third countries, and is intensifying these efforts in order to put an end to the unlawful detention of the five citizens of the Republic and of the EU. Given the continuing, provocative, and blatant violation of any notion of justice, the Republic of Cyprus, inter alia, is examining the available legal remedies it can activate against Türkiye, including proceedings before the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR).

14 Aug 1996: #SolomosSolomou murdered by #Turkey and its illegal occupation regime in #Cyprus. ‘Agriculture Minister’ (Turkish #colonist) and Turkish Chief of ‘Special Forces’ filmed shooting Solomos. 11 civilians, 2 #UNFICYP personnel injured by Turks’ gunfire. Graphic content.

Πενήντα ένα χρόνια από την αποφράδα ημέρα της β’ φάσης της βάρβαρης τουρκικής εισβολής, που διαίρεσε με τη βία την πατρίδα μας, την έθεσε υπό κατοχή, εκδίωξε χιλιάδες συμπατριώτες μας και καθόρισε τραγικά τη σύγχρονη ιστορία και το μέλλον της. Στις 14 Αυγούστου 1974, οι τουρκικές δυνάμεις παρά την εκεχειρία που είχε συμφωνηθεί, διεύρυναν τα επεκτατικά τους σχέδια, παραβιάζοντας επανειλημμένα κάθε κανόνα διεθνούς νομιμότητας. Μισό και πλέον αιώνα μετά, το ένα τρίτο της Κύπρου παραμένει υπό παράνομη κατοχή και τα δικαιώματα όλων των Κυπρίων παραβιάζονται καθημερινά. Πενήντα ένα χρόνια μετά, τιμούμε τους πεσόντες, τους αγνοούμενους, τους ηρωικά μαχόμενους και τις οικογένειες της προσφυγιάς. Καταδικάζουμε το έγκλημα και τη συνεχιζόμενη παράνομη κατοχή και δηλώνουμε πως Δεν Ξεχνούμε. Η δικαίωση θα έρθει μόνο μέσω της συνολικής επίλυσης του Κυπριακού, της απελευθέρωσης, της επανένωσης, όταν στην Κύπρο επικρατήσουν πραγματικές συνθήκες ειρήνης και ασφάλειας. Η παρούσα κατάσταση πραγμάτων δεν είναι και δεν μπορεί να αποτελέσει το μέλλον της Κύπρου και των παιδιών μας. Η μη λύση δεν είναι λύση. Συνεχίζουμε τον αγώνα, με το ιστορικό χρέος να παραδώσουμε στα παιδιά μας μια πατρίδα ελεύθερη, απαλλαγμένη από στρατούς κατοχής και αναχρονιστικές εγγυήσεις.