European Parliament
Marios Matsakis (ALDE ). –
Mr President, I wish to inform my colleagues of an unhappy event that happened to me over the festive season. On New Year’s Eve, I was abducted in Nicosia by Turkish occupying forces and accused of trespassing over the Turkish army line of separation imposed on Cyprus after the Turkish invasion of 1974. I was lucky to be arrested and not be killed: the orders given to Turkish guards are to shoot anybody seen near this line. A number of innocent civilians have already died in this way over the last few years.
Subsequently, I spent three days in jail in Turkish-occupied northern Cyprus in atrocious conditions, and no permission was granted to the United Nations, my relatives or the European Parliament’s representative to visit me. I was presented handcuffed on two occasions before a Turkish military court and on one occasion before an illegal civilian court in the Turkish-occupied sector of Nicosia. I was eventually released on bail of over EUR 25 000 and am summoned to appear before the Turkish occupation courts on 20 January; otherwise a warrant for my arrest will be issued. If found guilty, I face a three-year jail sentence.

