The five Greek Cypriots who were arrested in the north in July were “victims of a conspiracy”, Turkish Cypriot opposition political party CTP spokesman Asim Akansoy said.
He described the court cases against them, one of which – the military court trial – concluded with a not-guilty verdict on Friday and the other of which – the civilian court trial – is ongoing, as “a great shame in terms of justice”, and expressed relief at Friday’s verdict.
“It is certainly encouraging that these people will finally be able to retutn home after a months-long judicial process. However, everything which has happened up to this point has once again demonstrated the importance of justice,” he said.
He spoke of how the military court trial “revealed incomplete investigations, contradictory testimony, and files related to the accusations” levelled against the five Greek Cypriots.
“These five individuals were clearly victims of a conspiracy. Ignoring this fact would be denying not only the victims but also the responsibility of the state,” he said, before adding the fact that they were held in custody between July 19 and September was “a disgrace to the law”.
“This damages not only the individuals, but also the justice system and, consequently, the credibiity of the state,” he said, before adding, “no matter who treats anyone unfairly and for whatever reason, the right of both Turkish Cypriots and Greek Cypriots to live equally and safely in these lands is indisputable”.
He as such called on those in power in the norht to “adhere to the universal principles of justice”.
“My hope is that this case will lead to an awakening, that we will move towards a sense of justice where no one is accused based on their ethnicity, political views, or identity,” he said.
The five Greek Cypriots had been arrested on July 19 near Trikomo, and were subjected to two trials.
At the military court, one of the five had been charged with illegally entering the north when the five crossed into the north via the Strovilia crossing point, near Famagusta, on July 19, while the other four stood accused of aiding and abetting the illegal entry.
After Friday’s ruling, three of the five are now free, while the other two remain on bail, subject to a civilian court case in Trikomo, where they stand accused of privacy violations.
That court case will continue next Wednesday.
They had initially been held in custody, but two separate rulings made by the north’s supreme court eventually saw them released on bail in September.
