The European Parliament voted 575 to 33 on Wednesday to formally recognize the mass rape of Cypriot women during Turkey'...

The European Parliament voted 575 to 33 on Wednesday to formally recognize the mass rape of Cypriot women during Turkey's 1974 invasion as war crimes, in a resolution that took more than 50 years to reach the floor of a European institution. The resolution was drafted by the Parliament's FEMM Committee on Women's Rights and Gender Equality, with Greek MEP Eleonora Meleti of New Democracy serving as rapporteur. It condemns Turkey's invasion and ongoing occupation of northern Cyprus, classifies sexual violence as a weapon of war, and calls for full recognition and reparations for survivors. It also demands Turkey accept accountability under international law. The resolution followed a fact-finding mission by the FEMM Committee to Cyprus, where members recorded direct testimony from women who experienced sexual violence during and after the invasion. Meleti said those survivors' accounts were central to the entire process. Speaking at the Strasbourg plenary, Meleti described the weight of what she heard during the mission. She told the chamber that a promise was made to those women that their pain, and the collective trauma of all Cypriots, would not remain silent or invisible. She said the rape did not end in 1974. It continued through the stigma, the isolation, the rejection, and the loneliness that followed for decades. The vote passed with overwhelming support, with only 33 MEPs voting against out of 608 cast. The issue had remained outside official European historical and political discourse for more than half a century, and this resolution marks the first time the EU legislature has formally addressed it. #Cyprus #Turkey #EuropeanParliament