Following Turkey’s military operations launched on July 20, 1974, the Turkish state came to control around 37 percent of the island. The invasion displaced between 140,000 and 200,000 Greek Cypriots to the south and 42,000 to 65,000 Turkish Cypriots to the north. 

 

Turkey later established the so-called “Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC),” recognized only by Ankara, while the internationally recognized Republic of Cyprus joined the European Union in 2003.

 

After the invasion, lands left behind by displaced Greek Cypriots were seized. A 1997 law allowed the distribution of property titles to settlers brought from Turkey and Turkish Cypriots who moved north. These lands were later sold and large-scale construction projects began, many of which were built on confiscated Greek Cypriot properties. Several developers, including Simon Aykut, a Turkish-Israeli national accused of developing €43 million worth of real estate, were prosecuted by Cypriot authorities.

 

Karahan said: “The 1974 occupation changed everything in Cyprus. Forced displacement uprooted a large part of society. About 160,000 Greek-speaking Cypriots were forcibly moved to the south, and some 50,000 Turkish-speaking Cypriots were pushed to the north by Turkey. What happened in Cyprus in 1974 is the same as what we see today in Gaza, displacement, hunger, and tent cities. It was a tragedy identical to what we witness now.”

 

Karahan explained that the TRNC authorities began issuing false property deeds for Greek-owned land in 1997, leading to illegal property sales that continue today. He said: “These deeds are worthless. If Cyprus is reunified tomorrow, those lands will still belong to their original Greek owners.”

 

To counter the illegal transactions, the Republic of Cyprus enacted Law 303A in 2006, criminalizing the buying, selling, or renting of seized Greek Cypriot property. The law gained attention in 2024 when Turkish Cypriot lawyer Akan Kürşat was detained in Italy on related charges. Karahan said the case triggered a campaign that led to the arrest of several developers, including Simon Aykut, whose massive projects in the İskele region were built on seized land.

 

In apparent retaliation, five elderly Greek Cypriots were detained by the Turkish Cypriot administration. “Their only ‘crime’ was visiting their ancestral villages. It was an act of blackmail. Forcibly displacing people and seizing their property are crimes against humanity under the Geneva Conventions and the Rome Statute. Turkey has been convicted multiple times by the European Court of Human Rights for these actions,” he said. 

 

Karahan emphasized that the problem stems from the continued occupation. He concluded:  “No one in Cyprus benefits from this system. The expansion of illegal settlements puts cultural, social, and economic pressure on native Cypriots. The only solution is the liberation of Cyprus. Crimes against humanity do not expire, and the ongoing arrests have already slowed construction in the occupied areas. The law should have been enforced long ago.”

 

MA / Tolga Güney