Background

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Since the summer of 1974 when Turkey invaded Cyprus militarily and placed 1/3 of the territory of the Republic of Cyprus under its control the fate of hundreds of people remains unknown.

The initial number of missing persons was 1619 , including non-combatants, women and small children. On the face of evidence, all these people disappeared during or after the Turkish invasion in the areas captured by the Turkish troops. There is corroborating evidence from eye witnesses and international Organisations that many of these persons had been arrested by the Turkish invasion forces or armed Turkish Cypriot groups and held for a period of time in Turkish prisons.

For three decades the Turkish side maintained a completely negative attitude on this humanitarian issue. It refused to have a serious discussion and turned a deaf ear to the appeals for the supply of information about the fate of the Missing. In violation of fundamental principles and declarations on human rights and in disregard of a host of special resolutions adopted by the United Nations and Europe, Turkey kept its cards closed on the issue, considering it a military secret and hiding behind the vague and unfounded allegation that it held no one and knew nothing of these people.

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Message

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Welcome to the website of the Pancyprian Organisation of the Relatives of Undeclared Prisoners and Missing Persons

Here you may find facts and information about the humanitarian issue of the missing persons, who remain unaccounted for as a result of the Turkish invasion of Cyprus in 1974. You can also be updated on the efforts undertaken all these years to locate their whereabouts.

The aim of our Organisation is to achieve at long last respect for the human rights of our missing persons and their relatives and to ensure that every family with a missing person among its members is officially informed on the face of documentary evidence about the fate of their beloved.

In parallel, we endeavour to contribute to the awareness of the international community so that appropriate measures would be taken to guard against the use of such unacceptable methods in the future and to prevent the recurrence of any such tragic and inhuman experiences.

	ORGANISATION OF RELATIVES
	OF UNDECLARED PRISONERS AND MISSING PERSONS