Greek -American MPs, ask for more immediate intervention by letter to their Mark Rubio for the release of five Greek Cypriots prisoners in the occupied territories.
Pressure at the State Department for the liberation of the five Greek Cypriots that continue to be held in the Turkish -occupied areas of Cyprus was requested by the Heads of the Hellenic Affairs Group in the House of Representatives (Hellenic Caucus) by letter sent to the Foreign Minister.
MPs Guy Bilirakis, Nicole Malliotaki, Dina Tatouss and Chris Pappas They refer to politically motivated arrests that threaten the bi -communal and bi -zonal overall settlement that the State Department seeks to reunite the island.
“In the light of this serious escalation by the Turkish authorities, we ask the State Department through the United States’ embassies in the Nicosia And in Ankara, to take action towards those in the occupied areas, demanding the immediate liberation of the Greek Cypriots that are illegally held because they exercised their human right to visit their ancestral homes. The State Department also has to make Turkey accountable for its ongoing violations in Cyprus and press on the end of the island’s illegal occupation, “they said.
Finally, US MPs interpret the detention of the five Greek Cypriot citizens in retaliation of occupation against the growing legal actions taken against the illegal development of real estate in the northern part of the island.
The letter of MPs to Mark Rubio
‘Honorable Minister Rubio,
As the head of the Hellenic Caucus group of Greek affairs in the House of Representatives (Hellenic Caucus), we are concerned about the continuing illegal violent division of the Republic of Cyprus, we express our deep concern about the arrest and detention of five Greek Cypriots in the Turkish -occupied areas. These arrests are politically motivated and illegal, threatening the bi -communal and bi -zonal overall settlement that the State Department seeks to reunite the island.
On July 19, 2025, five elderly Greek Cypriots were arrested in the village of Trikomo, located in the Turkish -occupied areas of Cyprus, while visiting their ancestral possessions. These citizens were illegally accused of illegal entry, espionage and disruption of the public order. They were subsequently detained by disputed legal proceedings, had exhaustive court meetings and are currently held in harsh prisoners, despite being suffering from chronic diseases. The arrests took place shortly after the Pentecost first anniversary of the Turkish invasion of Cyprus in 1974 and are considered retaliation for the growing legal actions taken against the illegal real estate development in the northern part of the island, where the Republic of Cyprus does not carry out effective control.
Recently, the five Greek Cypriots soon appeared before a military court, having already spent a total of twenty -six days in custody. During this time, the authorities of the occupation regime ignored requests for medical care. In one case, the so -called “Ministry of the Interior” in the occupied territories ignored a request for a machine necessary to treat severe sleep apnea to one of the defendants.
In the light of this serious escalation by the Turkish authorities, we ask the State Department, through the United States’ embassies in Nicosia and Ankara, to take action to those responsible for the occupied areas, demanding their immediate release of the Greek Cypriots. houses. The State Department also has to make Turkey accountable for its ongoing violations in Cyprus and press on the end of the island’s illegal occupation. “