Front Page Headlines
An uprising at the barricade, call for peace
Supporters of peace in Cyprus staged a protest at the Lokmacı (Ledra Street) crossing point “against fear and partition”. There were scuffles between police and Turkish Cypriot protestors who tried to push through the crossing point. Police sprayed the protestors with what was believed to be tear gas and water. UniteCyprusNow will be staging another protest at 11 am on Monday if the four crossing points are not opened. Signs which read “Anastasiades is running towards partition. Someone stop him” were open by Turkish Cypriots during the protest where slogans were chanted on both sides of the crossing point. Greek Cypriots attended the protest with their signs in three languages which read “We do not accept partition whether it is on land or at sea”.
Gas at the crossing
The second protest on the closure of the crossing points was held on Saturday. The Greek Cypriot protestors gathered on the south of the Lokmacı (Ledra St.) crossing while the Turkish Cypriots in the north. The Greek Cypriot police used tear gas to prevent the Turkish Cypriot and Greek Cypriot protestors from uniting.
- We are ahead in terms of female representation in parliament – The Turkish Cypriot parliament, 18 per cent of which is made up of female MPs is ahead of both the Greek Cypriot House of Representatives and the Turkish. 17 per cent of the House of Representatives in the south and 14 per cent of the Turkish parliament is made up of women.
- The coronavirus threat to be tabled at a meeting at the presidential palace
No one hears the voice of immigrant women
Even though statements are being issued to mark International Women’s Day, most of them fail to make any mention of migrant female labourers. There are many women, who had to leave their homes to earn a living elsewhere, who are subjected to pressure and violence. Speaking to Kıbrıs, Lawyer Cansu N. Nazlı said immigrant women are the ones suffering the most. “These women, who are not citizens, are seen as cheap labour and are susceptible to exploitation because they are subjected to different rules of employment.
- Greek Cypriot police used tear gas and police batons – The Greek Cypriot police used batons and sprayed tear gas at the second protest organized at the Lokmacı (Ledra St.) against the Greek Cypriot side’s unilateral decision to close four crossing points citing coronavirus as an excuse.
Anastasiades has gone mad
The protestors who gathered at the Lokmacı (Ledra St.) crossing worried the Greek Cypriot administration. The Greek Cypriot police used tear gas, batons and water cannon to prevent a handful of protestors from crossing.
- Outraged at Taçoy – The Turkish Cypriot Economy and Energy Minister Hasan Taçoy and head of National Unity Party (UBP) Nicosia branch Sadık Gardiyanoğlu, who went to the Lokmacı (Ledra St.) checkpoint, were also protested. Protesters chanted “Fascist UBP and ELAM get out.”
No giving up
Peace cannot be prevented in Cyprus. Greek Cypriot police responded to Turkish Cypriots who marched to the border with olive branches with pepper spray. Turkish Cypriots staged the second protest at the Lokmacı (Ledra Street) crossing point since the Greek Cypriot Administration closed four crossing points with the excuse of coronavirus. Turkish Cypriots, which included officials and MPs from the Republican Turkish Party (CTP) who want the crossing points to be opened handed olive branches to Greek Cypriots. After some of the protestors tried to push through the barriers, Greek Cypriot police first responded with batons and then sprayed the protestors with tear gas. While some were injured from the gas, ambulances were sent to the area. Turkish Cypriot Economy and Energy Minister Hasan Taçoy who went to the protest site was booed off by the protestors.
- The fascists rise on their feet – ELAM which carried out a protest on Ledra Street with Greek flags demanded the closing of all crossing points.
Response to peace with tear gas and batons
Anastasiades’s police were nothing short of Erdoğan’s police.
- Mustafa Akıncı: “You don’t spray gas just hand them olive branches”
Main News
Lokmacı (Ledra Street) protest turned ugly
Yenidüzen, Kıbrıs Postası, Kıbrıs, Havadis, Diyalog, Afrika
Internal Security
OVERVIEW
The protest staged on both sides of the Lokmacı (Ledra Street) divide on Saturday to demonstrate against the closure of four checkpoints by the Greek Cypriot authorities turned violent when protesters from the north, who gathered in the Buffer Zone, attempted to break through police lines to cross over to the south,
Greek Cypriot police responded by spraying tear gas from a very short distance and hitting protesters in the first line with batons.
Ten protesters were rushed to a hospital in the north with minor injuries.
The decision to temporarily shut down four crossing points as part of coronavirus protection measures has been criticized on both sides as a measure veiling ulterior political motives.
Hundreds assembled just before noon at the Lokmacı (Ledra Street) checkpoint, with masses on both sides of the divide separated by a strong police force and rows of barricades.
The leader of the Republican Turkish Party (CTP) Tufan Erhürman, the CTP’s General Secretary Erdoğan Sorakin, CTP MPs Asım Akansoy, Erkut Şahali, Doğuş Derya, Armağan Candan, Özdil Nami, Sıla Usar İncirli, Fazilet Özdenefe and Salahi Şahiner, other prominent Turkish Cypriot politicians and activists were also present at the protest.
Turkish Cypriot Economy and Energy Minister Hasan Taçoy who tried to join the protestors was booed away.
A large banner held by protesters from the north read ‘Anastasiades is running for Taksim [partition], stop him!’, while banners held by protesters on the opposite side of the barricades called for an end to ‘the virus of partition’ and ‘standing against fear and division.’
UniteCyprusNow, one of the organizations that issued the call for the demonstration on Saturday, tweeted that it had called for a peaceful protest that would not include attempts to push through the barricades.
It said that it would be staging another protest on Monday 11 am if the Greek Cypriots did not open the four crossing points.
Meanwhile, the incident drew widespread condemnation in the north.
President Mustafa Mustafa Akıncı, in a written statement posted on social media, condemned the use of the spray. He said that to the people who support the opening of the crossing, an olive branch should be extended and not be gassed with sprays.
He added that it was a disproportionate use of force.
“The spraying of tear gas was just as disproportionate as the baseless decision to shut the crossing points,” he said.
Akıncı repeated his call for the crossing points to be reopened before any further delay.
His condemnation was echoed by protesters who said the police action had not been necessary. Video footage showed police also hitting people in the first row with batons.
Turkish Cypriot Prime Minister-National Unity Party (UBP) leader, Ersin Tatar said that the spraying of tear gas on a peaceful protest was unacceptable behaviour.
Tatar, protesting Anastasiades’ administration, said that the closure of the crossing points as part of coronavirus protection measures was not convincing which was all four crossing points needed to be opened immediately.
“Our sincere policy is based on developing relations with the Greek Cypriot side based on sovereign equality and mutual respect. That is why we support the opening of crossing points between the TRNC and the Greek Cypriot side as well as keeping those opened open. As it can be recalled, it was the UBP government which had authorized the opening of the Metehan (Agios Dhometios) and Ledra Palace crossing points in 2002,” he said.
Tatar also said the European Union Commission (EC) and the United Nations (UN) should stop being a bystander and to launch necessary initiatives to force the Greek Cypriot authorities to reverse their decision.
The UBP leader also criticized the protestors for jeering Economy and Energy Minister Hasan Taçoy and chanting slogans against the UBP.
He said his party did not deserve such a reaction.
Akıncı’s and Tatar’s condemnation was also echoed by Turkish Cypriot Foreign Minister Kudret Özersay.
Özersay on a post on social media said, “I condemn the violence against our citizens by the Greek Cypriot political leadership which demonstrates at every opportunity its intolerance to share with us a single cent economically.”
“They showed us how ‘civilized’ and ‘European’ they are once again. We are launching necessary initiatives but the attempts, especially by the EU, to cover up this mistake and legitimatize the use of force is unacceptable,” he added.
CTP leader Tufan Erhürman, who was among the protestors when the incident happened, said that the Greek Cypriot authorities had to turn back from its mistake as soon as possible.
He said the spraying of tear gas, which was disproportionate and a violation of human rights was unacceptable.
“We have people who were injured and hurt. We will not allow the UN and EU to ignore or turn a blind eye to these human rights violations and for relations between the two communities to be harmed,” he said.
Erhürman added that this decision which he pointed out had no legitimate basis needed to end immediately.
In the meantime, another protest took place at Ledra Street on Friday evening from a group calling for the closing of all crossings.
The group, that said they were a non-partisan initiative, headed by far-right Elam, marched to the Ledra Street crossing holding Greek flags and called for all crossing points to close.
KEY ACTORS
Akıncı
>> The people who support the opening of the crossing, an olive branch should be extended & not be gassed with sprays.
>> GC police exercised disproportionate use of force.
>> Crossing points should be opened without further delay.
Tatar (UBP)
>> Closing of crossings with the excuse of coronavirus precaution measures not convincing.
>> Use of force against peaceful TC protestors unacceptable.
>> Our sincere policy is based on developing relations with the GC side based on sovereign equality & mutual respect.
>> UBP supports opening of crossing points & keeping crossing points open.
>> EU & UN should stop being a bystander & launch necessary initiatives to force the GC authorities to reverse their decision.
Özersay (HP)
>> GC police’s attack on TCs is unacceptable. The incident shows how ‘civilized’ & ‘European’ GC side was.
>> Attempts, especially by the EU, to cover up this mistake and legitimatize the use of force is unacceptable.
Erhürman (CTP)
>> Spraying of tear gas, which was disproportionate & a violation of human rights is unacceptable.
>> We will not allow the UN and to ignore or turn a blind eye to these human rights violations & for relations between the two communities to be harmed.
>> This decision which had no legitimate basis needed to be ended immediately.
Gender equality can only be established 202 years later
Yenidüzen
Human Rights
OVERVIEW
“Given the current pace of economic and cultural development across the globe, it will only be possible to establish gender equality in 202 years,” Prof Dr Biran Mertan stressed during an interview with Yenidüzen on Sunday.
Bertan, who is also a member of the bicommunal gender advisory team (GAT), emphasized that 2020 will be an important year for women’s rights and gender equality as it coincides with the 20th anniversary of the United Nations Security Council resolution 1325 among other important anniversaries.
Bertan noted that the UNSC 1325, which is titled “Women, Peace and Security” was adopted in 2000.
In addition to explaining the details of the UNSC 1325, Bertan also noted that it was the first formal and legal document that required parties in a conflict to prevent violations of women’s rights, to support women’s participation in peace negotiations and post-conflict reconstruction, and to protect women and girls from wartime sexual violence.
“The UNSC 1325 consists of four pillars that are: prevention, protection, participation, and relief and recovery,” Bertan stressed.
He noted that the prevention aspect focuses on sexual and gender-based violence; protection involves improving women and girls’ safety, physical and mental health, economic security, and overall well-being; participation refers to promoting women’s participation in peace processes, increasing the numbers of women at all levels of decision-making institutions, and increasing partnerships with local women’s organizations; and finally relief and recovery efforts ensure the equal distribution of aid to women and girls and incorporate gender perspectives into relief and recovery efforts.
Bertan added that “In this respect, GAT, which was established in 2009, has been monitoring the ongoing peace processes and have been making the two leaders recommendations on the implementation of the UNSC1325.” She also noted the GAT had also submitted the two leaders a very comprehensive report in 2012.
“Even though all the reports were prepared with the aim of effective participation of women at the negotiations table but the leaders, unfortunately, did not take any one of them into consideration,” Bertan stressed. She added: “The leaders’ priority is ethnic power-sharing and not gender equality.”
Bertan noted that there have been women in the negotiations teams however GAT insists on women’s participation in line with the UNSC 1325.
She said the two leaders have discussed many issues reaching agreements on some and not on others.
“Unfortunately, the only issue that has not become part of the peace process has been gender equality,” Bertan stressed.
She added that as a result of insistence from the GAT, a bicommunal technical committee was established but that the work of the committee is also detached from the communities.
“The committee has not given the communities any information on the type of work they have done and what kind of proposals they have made to the two leaders so far. There is no transparency in the work of the committee,” Bertan said.
Responding to a question on the Turkish Cypriot institutions, Bertan said the department of women was established in 2002 and gender equality office in 2014 in the north. “However, neither has become operational and even though there are the necessary laws in place, they are not being implemented in the north,” Bertan concluded.
KEY ACTORS
Bertan (GAT)
>> GAT has been monitoring the ongoing peace processes & has been making the two leaders recommendations on the implementation of the UNSC1325.
>> The leaders, unfortunately, have not taken into consideration any of the reports prepared with the aim of effective participation of women in the talks.
>> The leaders’ priority is ethnic power-sharing & not gender equality.
>> GAT insists on women’s participation in line with the UNSC 1325.
>> The only issue that has not become part of the peace process has been gender equality.
>> The work of the bicommunal technical committee on gender equality is detached from the communities as they do not inform the communities on the work they do.
>> There are necessary laws in place in terms of gender equality but they are not implemented.