President Ersin Tatar officially recorded in a letter to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres that the Greek Cypriot leadership was pursuing an increasingly oppressive and hostile policy.
Tatar called on Secretary-General Guterres to intervene to halt Greek Cypriot aggression reminiscent of the 1963–1974 period.
The President also stressed that the “new atmosphere” described by the UN Secretary-General following the Geneva meeting was now in danger of deterioration.
According to a statement from the President’s Office, President Ersin Tatar, in a letter dated 10 June addressed to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, expressed deep concern over the unlawful detention of Turkish Cypriots and foreigners by the Greek Cypriot leadership due to their involvement in property-related transactions in the TRNC.
Stating that the Greek Cypriot leadership was implementing a planned policy aimed at spreading fear and pressure against individuals acting within the bounds of the law, violating both international law and human rights, Tatar called on the Secretary-General to intervene in the matter.
Describing the situation as extremely worrying, the President noted that the Greek Cypriot side, in pursuit of its political goals, was seeking to expand the scope of a law dating back to 1959 and to increase the penalties it prescribes, effectively aiming to criminalize everyone.
Pointing out that the first arrest occurred in December 2023, when a Turkish Cypriot lawyer was detained in Italy at the request of the Greek Cypriot administration via an Interpol Red Notice, he further stated that in June 2024, businessman Simon Aykut was arrested in South Cyprus and remains in custody.
Between September 2024 and March 2025, five more individuals of various nationalities were also arrested for similar reasons.
Reminding that since 2005, the Immovable Property Commission (IPC), operating under the guidance of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), has served as a legal and effective domestic remedy for Greek Cypriot property claims, Tatar noted that the ECHR had explicitly recognized the IPC as an “accessible and effective domestic remedy.”
In the second part of his letter, Tatar also drew attention to the Greek Cypriot leadership’s abuse of the status it unlawfully holds, attempting to place Turkish Cypriots and foreign nationals on wanted lists via global policing mechanisms like Interpol.
Stating that he had informed the UN Secretary-General about this issue during bilateral meetings held in New York in September 2024 and in Geneva in March 2025, the President also noted that he raised the matter directly with the Greek Cypriot leader during an informal dinner in New York in October 2024 and at subsequent leaders’ meetings on the island.
However, he said, the Greek Cypriot leader claimed he could not intervene, insisting that the matter was judicial, and thereby attempted to evade responsibility.
Warning that the “new atmosphere” described by the UN Secretary-General following the Geneva meeting was now at risk of collapse, Tatar stressed that the Turkish Cypriot people were feeling “uneasy,” “threatened,” and “anxious,” with many avoiding travel to the South or abroad for fear of being arrested or detained.
He further underlined that the current climate was evoking the traumas of the 1963–1974 period, which left deep scars in the collective memory of the Turkish Cypriot people.
Noting that while the public had called for a reciprocal response to the Greek Cypriot actions, he had so far maintained a restrained approach, the President warned that, under current conditions, the intense efforts and initiatives shown to date by the UN Secretary-General regarding the Cyprus issue were now seriously at risk.
President Tatar concluded his letter by saying, “Mr. Secretary-General, there is a need for your strong and determined leadership to immediately halt these systematic human rights violations by the Greek Cypriot administration—before they do further damage to the new atmosphere and reach an irreversible point.”
