A scathing letter signed by the Movement of Cypriots for Peace and Solidarity has been delivered by Turkish Cypriots to the President of the Republic of Cyprus, Nikos Christodoulidis, requesting him to file a complaint with the International Criminal Court against Turkey for the systematic transfer of population to the occupied territories. They call on President Christodoulidis to request the UN to conduct a census in the northern part of Cyprus, while openly speaking of “ethnic cleansing“ by Ankara.
The delivery of the letter, on the eve of the informal conference in New York, also has political significance, reports “Phileleftheros”, as what is mentioned contradicts much of what the Turkish Cypriot leadership claims about the situation in the occupied territories. At the same time, the Turkish position on protecting Turkish Cypriots is undermined, as the Turkish Cypriots themselves are turning to the Republic of Cyprus asking it to protect them from Ankara.
The central point in the letter is the position on the systematic alteration by Turkey of the demographic character of the occupied territories, which they themselves consider to be “an obstacle to solving the Cyprus problem.”
They even speak of ethnic cleansing by Turkey in the northern part of Cyprus: “Turkey, which intervened militarily on the island under the pretext of ‘guarantor responsibility’ for protecting the territorial integrity of the Republic of Cyprus and restoring its constitutional order, has exceeded its guarantor responsibilities, has carried out ethnic cleansing in the northern part of Cyprus, has divided the island in two with borders, has looted the properties of Greek Cypriots and, in violation of the Geneva Conventions of 1949, has transferred populations to the island, disrupting the demographic structure and establishing an autonomous, puppet political regime loyal to itself.”
Ankara, as the Turkish Cypriots themselves state, in an attempt to maintain “the political regime it established” changed the demographic structure “with the policies of occupation and settlement of the northern part of Cyprus” and “usurped the political will of the Turkish Cypriots.”
Through data presented: “In the latest European Parliament elections, the number of Turkish Cypriot voters who were citizens of the Republic of Cyprus and had the right to vote was 103,000, while in July 2025, the Authorities in the north announced that the number of voters was 216,000.” And turning to President Christodoulidis, they state that after the October “elections” at the negotiating table Turkey will be represented and not the Turkish Cypriots.
The five demands of the Turkish Cypriots
Appeal to The Hague: “We request that, as the Republic of Cyprus, you raise the issue of systematic population transfer from Turkey to the northern part of our island in violation of the Geneva Conventions of 1949 and the change of demographic structure, to the European Union, the United Nations and the Council of Europe, and file a complaint with the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague.”
UN population census: “We urge you to officially request the United Nations to conduct a population census in the occupied northern part of Cyprus under the supervision of international observers. This census must be carefully designed and implemented to accurately determine the actual number of Turkish Cypriots who are citizens of the Republic of Cyprus and, most importantly, to definitively determine the number and identity of illegal settlers. This demographic initiative should not be considered merely an academic exercise. It is essential for a healthy assessment of the situation and maintaining the demographic integrity of our island.”
Systematic settlement: “We believe that the policy of population transfer imposed by Turkey constitutes a violation of the political will of Turkish Cypriots and a lack of respect for democracy and human rights. The occupation of northern Cyprus by Turkey and its characterization as a subdivision of Turkey by the European Court of Human Rights, has made the intervention of Turkish military and political bureaucrats in the ‘elections’ a regular phenomenon in every pre-election period.”
They also note that within such a political environment it is not possible to conduct healthy elections and ask the President of the Republic of Cyprus to take action to ensure that there will be “healthy ‘elections’ in northern Cyprus, organized and controlled by the United Nations.”
Separatist, colonial policy: “We further ask you to take action to end this dangerous electoral game, which serves Turkey’s separatist, colonial policy and neutralizes the political leadership of Turkish Cypriots. As long as illegal settlers continue to participate in elections and usurp the will of Turkish Cypriots, it is in Turkey’s interest not to challenge the results of elections conducted in the occupied part of our country.”
Challenging the result: “We ask you to challenge the results of these fraudulent elections, in order to protect the sovereignty of the Republic of Cyprus and guarantee the democratic rights of its citizens. Such a political stance will overcome the deadlock in the talks for solving the Cyprus problem and will prevent population transfers.”
