Leaders of the Congressional Hellenic Caucus have called on Secretary of State Marco Rubio to intervene in the detention of five elderly Greek Cypriots held in the Turkish-occupied north of Cyprus, warning that the case risks undermining U.S.-backed efforts to reunify the divided island.
In a letter sent this week, Representatives Dina Titus of Nevada, Gus Bilirakis of Florida, Chris Pappas of New Hampshire and Nicole Malliotakis of New York described the arrests as “politically motivated” and said the detentions violated basic human rights. They urged the State Department to press Ankara and Turkish Cypriot authorities to secure the men’s release.
The five men were arrested on July 19 in the village of Trikomo while visiting ancestral properties abandoned during the 1974 Turkish invasion of Cyprus. They were charged with illegal entry, espionage and disturbing the peace, then held for 26 days under what the lawmakers called questionable legal procedures. Requests for medical care were denied, the letter said, including one appeal for a sleep apnea machine for a detainee with a chronic condition.
The lawmakers argued that the detentions amounted to retaliation for a growing number of legal challenges brought by Greek Cypriots against real estate development on their former lands in the north.
“This serious escalation by the Turkish authorities underscores the need for the United States to hold Turkey accountable for its ongoing violations in Cyprus,” the lawmakers wrote.
Cyprus has been divided for more than half a century, with United Nations–brokered talks on a bizonal, bicommunal federation repeatedly stalling. While Turkey and Turkish Cypriot leaders have increasingly advocated a permanent two-state solution, Washington has rejected that approach and continues to back reunification under the U.N. framework.
Petros Kasfikis is an accredited correspondent covering the White House, State Department, and Capitol Hill for MEGA TV and newspaper To Vima. For the latest political developments from Washington, D.C., you can subscribe to his YouTube channel: youtube.com/c/PKas?sub_confirmation=1
