Konuk Yazar, 26 Eylul 2001
Fatma Avni Yiakoup
Inside the Coffin of a Community; Psychological Persecution
The community put into coffin alive is obviously the ‘Cypriot Turkish’ community by the Denktashist regime and the Turkish occupation on the northern part of the island. I identify the community not as Turkish Cypriot and Moslem minority as the British colonial period once did identify. First of all, being a Turk can be identified equal to a culture practicing Islam seriously, whereas Cypriot Turks are non practicing Moslems and the community does not take religion into consideration as seriously as Turks do. Religion, Islam, does not have a profound influence on social and moral values on Cypriot Turkish community as the reverse is crystal clear on Turks. This is one of the main differences between Turks and Cypriot Turks. There are many other distinctive characteristics to be mentioned since my purpose is conveying what is inside the coffin caused by psychological persecution I will continue with what is inside the coffin.
What is psychological persecution and how do the Denktashist regime and the Turkish occupation injects it so profoundly to the Cypriot Turkish community? Psychological persecution is such a deep and horrendous insane-inhuman practice which transmits generations after generations deeply embedded to thoughts and emotions as we Cypriot Turks experienced the TMT terror, in other words the ‘organization’s’ terror which supposed to found defense in any means among Cypriot Turks during 1963-1974 against EOKA. Yet we know today that many intellectuals and those who had qualifications of leadership had been killed-silenced through the organization’s- in other words Denktash’s orders. For instance, writers of the Cumhuriyet newspaper, Ayhan Hikmet and Muzzaffer Gurkan, were victims of such persecution, that still today the murderers ‘creep’ among us with a full light conscience! Many stories had been traveling since the unfair incidents began among Cypriot Turks first through the ‘organization’. If anyone would tell his own idea and this would be against the organiztion’s policy yet he would insist on his idea he would not see the next day. Therefore silence through oppression was the only remedy for survival both for individuals and their families. Such oppression, such a fear injected put this community into a coffin. Clearly psychological effects will continue for generations… This was the past experience…
Present… on 22nd September, 2001 at 13.00pm I saw more than five military tracks travelling from Varosha down to the state hospital of Famagusta from in front of schools. High school students are taken to military camps and shown weapons to prove how powerful the Turkish army is. In universities young people have to watch the propaganda film of the Turkish army on Cyprus and attandance is taken very meticulously and carefully. What are these young people thinking? How are their personalities forming?
On 20th September, 2001 in Famagusta, again another power cut which took approximately 12 hours to have power again. That night on Salamis road families could not sleep and children cried because they were afraid of the sound of passing tanks for hours. Children thought war is beginning, which means Cypriot Greeks will come to kill their families and themselves. Usually when the power cuts happen in this country the military moves from one point to the other. Or sometimes the military tracks start moving when people go to work, students to school or on the way back home, so far traffic is upside down. What is this? What does it mean? Is there anyone who thinks the effects on this community? I have doubts…
A personal experience… From age 7 to 17 years I had experienced a thrilling trauma, whereas words are insufficient to express what I had felt and thought. When I was 7 the whole school was taken to specific places to honor the martyrs killed by EOKA. First visit to the Barbaric Museum in Nicosia, Kumsal. The scene in this particular house is very well known which a mother in the bathroom tube killed with her children, an unforgettable bloody scene of a lifetime. Indeed many of the little children started to cry so our teachers took us out from the house. The scene never erased from my mind and will remain until the day I die. The second visit was to the 1974 massacred villages’(Atlilar, Sandallar, Murataga) monument. Stories of those killed were conveyed to us and many of us had pissed on our pants due to the horror we faced as naïve children. From that day until 17 years of age every 21st December, which was the annual of the mother and her children killed in the bathroom tube by EOKA I was so scared I could not sleep in my bed that I thought Cypriot Greeks would come and act violently to kill us. I had to sleep with my parents. Year 1999 from a very reliable source I learnt that the whole story was set up by Denktash, in other words the organization in order to accelerate and aggravate the violence between two communities therefore reaching taksim/partition. There were two young women left alive injured from the horrific incident happened in that house. Today these two women live a wealthy life silently forever! Did those two young women have any choice besides keeping silent? What kind of a conscience is this to kill innocent defenseless people because the man of that particular house was against Denktash? Not Milosevic! A myth is created out of this horrific incident and fear injected to us, the young and naïve generation, yet there is always the ‘light of truth’ which cannot be switched off.
Women involved in bicommunal activities are ill-treated by the so-called intelligence police while crossing the border either from Ledra Palace or Pyla. For instance, the last incident happened this summer after a bicommunal meeting members of the Cypriot Women’s Group were harassed in various levels, degraded, and insanely interrogated in such a way which would clearly be understood that those women’s every move was watched very meticulous. Who would need to eliminate the members of the peace making process? What did those women think and feel during the persecution and afterwards?
There is a mother who decided not to send her son to the army service and instead sending him away from persecution. Yet she needed to get hold of Republic of Cyprus passport for her son. She could not cross the border by informing the authorities on her purpose so far she knew she could not get any permission to cross to ‘the other’ side. Therefore she crossed from the minefields in order to provide a future to her son.
A young woman divorced with two children without any maintenance and a university student does not receive sufficient government support for her children neither for her studies. She only receives 90 million Turkish Liras ($60) per month for her children and for her studies none. What this young woman should do? Go on streets and sell her body? Where is an opportunity for her to build her future in peace and protection? Yet she left to experience a mental and economical trauma. Who is responsible?
July 2001, a group of children between 9-13 with their teachers at the Ercan Airport faced 50 policemen who prevented them flying Athens to the Children’s Olympics even though they documents were legally completed. Why such an action taken against these young people? What do they think and feel?
Cypriot Turks holding Republic of Cyprus passport are hunt by the intelligence service. In case anyone attempts crossing to ‘the other’ side of the bench are detained in cells within inhuman conditions, then sent to the military courts as well as journalists facing similar implementations. Journalists and intellectuals are banned to express their thoughts, their freedom of movement and communication are violated. Bombs are blown, intellectuals are threatened in various ways, phone calls are clearly listened by the police, also watched by the intelligence service which sometimes continues days, sometimes when it is required intellectuals or just ordinary people are interrogated, beaten (tortured), and threatened arbitrarily. As a result, human rights of the Cypriot Turkish community are being violated immensely, insanely and that has caused a psychological persecution within the community. As long as it is continued to recognize Denktash as the legitimate leader of this community, who has not been elected by the community in the last presidential elections, yet elected by the Turkish army and in collaboration with the occupants he has been implementing inhuman criminal acts on this community, it will be extremely destructive for a peaceful community and peaceful resolution on this island.