Members of the Congressional Hellenic Caucus have expressed strong concern over the unlawful arrest and detention of five Greek-Cypriots in the Turkish-occupied northern part of the island, describing the actions as politically motivated and illegal.

In a letter addressed to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, lawmakers Dina Titus, Gus Bilirakis, Chris Pappas and Nicole Malliotakis urged the State Department to take immediate action. They emphasized that the arrests threaten “the bizonal, bicommunal comprehensive settlement that the United States has long supported for the reunification of Cyprus.”

The five elderly Greek-Cypriots were detained on July 19, in the village of Trikomo, located in Turkish-occupied Cyprus, while visiting their ancestral properties. “They were unlawfully charged with illegal entry, espionage, and disturbing the peace. They were subsequently detained under questionable legal procedures, subjected to marathon court sessions and are currently being held in harsh prison conditions despite suffering from chronic health issues,” the lawmakers note in their letter to Secretary Rubio.

According to the lawmakers, these arrests occurred shortly after the fifty-first anniversary of the 1974 Turkish invasion of Cyprus and are seen as “retaliation amid increasing legal action against illegal property developments in the northern area of the island where the Government of the Republic of Cyprus does not exercise effective control.”

The Congressional Hellenic Caucus urged the State Department, through US embassies in Nicosia and Ankara, to demand the immediate release of the detainees and to hold Turkey accountable for its ongoing violations in Cyprus. The lawmakers stressed that the United States must push for an end to the island’s illegal occupation.