Erotokritou-Efstathiou raise issue of illegal detention of Greek Cypriots with Berset

Members of the Cypriot delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), Christiana Erotokritou and Costis Efstathiou, raised the issue of the illegal detention of five Greek Cypriots in the occupied territories with the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Alain Berset.

According to a statement from the House of Representatives, the delegation members stressed that this constitutes a blatant violation of human rights and fundamental freedoms, condemning the methods of the illegal occupying regime.

It was also pointed out that Turkey is illegally occupying part of the Republic of Cyprus, violating international law and its obligations as a member state of the Council of Europe.

The Secretary General stressed the obligation of member states to implement the decisions of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR).

Ms. Erotokritou stressed the need for the Council of Europe to exert influence and pressure to comply with the Court's decisions, while Mr. Efstathiou stressed that no tolerance should be shown towards member states that do not implement ECHR decisions due to political expediency.

The Permanent Representative of the Republic of Cyprus to the Council of Europe, George Yagou, also attended the meeting.