82 women set free after zone protest

Press, 26 July 1989, Page 11

82 women set free after zone protest

NZPA-Reuter Nicosia Northern Cyprus yesterday freed 82 GreekCypriot women who were jailed after “walk home” demonstrations that have jeopardised Cyprus unification talks. The women were among 108 people jailed for three days by a Turk-ish-Cypriot court last Saturday after the protest across the United Nationscontrolled buffer zone dividing the Mediterranean island. Ten men, including a Greek orthodox bishop, were still in jail yesterday morning after refusing to pay fines of up to 100 Cyprus pounds ($381) each.

“The women’s fines were paid but not on this side,” a police officer told Reuters as the women, many carrying belongings in towels, were examined by a Turkish-Cypriot doc-

tor with a U.N. medical observer present. A group of 10 teen-age Greek-Cypriot girls were freed yesterday. Chanting crowds of Turkish-Cypriots attacked a U.N. van carrying them from the prison to the buffer zone. The Turkish republic of North Cyprus, recognised only by Turkey, freed the main group of 82 women just after midnight (local time) to minimise the risk of more incidents. Several of the freed women' said they had been reasonably well treated in Nicosia central jail, overlooked by the Kyrenia mountain range. “Forty-five of us were forced to sleep in a room for only 15,” one of the women said before boarding one of two buses that were to take the Greek Cypriots to the buffer zone.

They were seized during a protest last Wednesday to mark the fifteenth anniversary of Turkey’s invasion of Cyprus. Turkey says it sent in troops to protect the Turk-ish-Cypriot minority after a short-lived coup in Nicosia engineered by the military junta then ruling Greece. The Turkish-Cypriot leader, Rauf Denktash, has said the buffer zone protest has cast doubt over the future of his talks with President George Vassiliou, aimed at unifying Cyprus. The Turkish-Cypriot Cabinet yesterday delayed a decision on whether Mr Denktash should meet President Vassiliou today, as planned, until it had analysed the result of a U.N. . Security Council meeting called by the Cypriot President’s Government.