Cyprus highlighted the continuing human rights violations on the island and outlined its broader human rights priorities in a statement delivered by its Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Maria Michail, during the General Debate of the Third Committee of the 81st Session of the UN General Assembly.
Ambassador Michail said that ‘Cyprus considers human rights one of the cornerstones of the multilateral system and continues to place their promotion and protection at the heart of its foreign policy.’ She noted that, as a member of the Human Rights Council for the 2025-2027 term, Cyprus ‘remains firmly committed to contributing constructively to the Council’s work and to advancing the universal promotion, protection and fulfilment of human rights at both national and international levels.’
Referring to the Cyprus issue, Ambassador Michail said that ‘the people of Cyprus have experienced for the last 52 years, gross violations of their human rights and fundamental freedoms, as a result of the illegal Turkish military invasion and continued military occupation of 37% of the territory of the Republic of Cyprus, in flagrant violation of international law and the UN Charter.’
She added that ‘more than one third of the population are still internally displaced, being denied the right to return and peacefully enjoy their properties,’ while their land is ‘subjected to unlawful exploitation by the occupation regime.’
Ambassador Michail also referred to what she described as ‘the occupying power’s systematic policy of demographic engineering through the mass transfer of settlers,’ which, she said, ‘constitutes a war crime under international humanitarian law.’ On cultural heritage, she said that ‘over 500 churches’ have been ‘looted, desecrated, or destroyed.’
The Permanent Representative further said that the few hundred enclaved Greek Cypriots and Maronites who remain in the occupied areas ‘continue to face oppression and discrimination, including restrictions on education, religion, and access to their communities.’ She added that ‘the fate of nearly half of the missing persons in Cyprus remains unresolved’ due to “Trkiye’s refusal to provide the Committee on Missing Persons with all relevant information from its military archives and to grant unhindered access to areas it classifies as military”.
Ambassador Michail also referred to Turkish Cypriots living under occupation, saying that ‘their freedom of expression, thought, religion, and association are curtailed; their daily lives are subjected to surveillance and interference and their culture and identity are suppressed.’
‘The passage of time can never render human rights violations acceptable, nor can it diminish the obligations arising from international law,’ she stressed. ‘Cyprus will continue to firmly and consistently raise these violations in all relevant international fora, until the rights and fundamental freedoms of all Cypriots are fully restored’ she said.
She also addressed gender equality and violence against women and girls, the rights of persons with disabilities and children, youth participation, active ageing, the protection of LGBTIQ+ persons, and the protection of cultural diversity and heritage.
Concluding, she said that ‘Cyprus remains firmly committed to upholding the universality, indivisibility and equal enjoyment of human rights and fundamental freedoms for all.’ She added that, ‘as a country that continues to endure the consequences of occupation and division, Cyprus will continue to speak for the rights of all Cypriots and to advocate for the protection of those most vulnerable.’