Calling on Turkish-Occupied Cyprus to Protect Religious Artifacts

Floor Speech

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Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

I rise in strong support of H. Res. 1631, calling for the protection of religious sites and artifacts from and in Turkish-occupied areas of northern Cyprus and calling on the Turkish Government to respect the religious freedom of all the people living in the territory it occupies. I thank my very good friend Mr. Bilirakis for introducing this outstanding resolution and for his faithfulness and effectiveness in exposing human rights violations in Cyprus.

Madam Speaker, this resolution reminds us of the ongoing barbarism of the Turkish Government's military occupation of the northern part of the Republic of Cyprus, a sovereign State. The Turkish Government frequently prevents Greek Cypriots from holding divine liturgy, and it has pillaged their sacred churches and holy sites. The Turkish Government currently uses no less than 28 Orthodox churches as army barracks, has converted 80 churches into mosques, and permits others to be used as nightclubs, sheep stalls, and dancing schools. Under Turkish occupation, 500 churches, monasteries, cemeteries, and other religious sites have been desecrated, destroyed, or looted.

Madam Speaker, this resolution performs a great service in documenting in painstaking detail the trade in sacred objects looted from these churches, which is extensive, international, and totally illicit. It also points out the legal obligation of the Turkish Government to prevent this trade, to restore looted objects as well as churches, and to respect the human rights of those who live under its occupation.

Madam Speaker, I am profoundly disappointed that over the years, including since the passage of the International Religious Freedom Act, that our government has far too often failed to speak out and to speak out vigorously in defense of the religious freedom of Orthodox Christians. This is really shameful. The Turkish Government's persecution of Orthodoxy, whether in Cyprus or Istanbul, the home of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, in Syriac Orthodox monasteries, or of the Armenian Orthodoxy, seems to aim at extinguishing Christian Orthodoxy within its borders.

As the Secretary General's report on the United Nations operations in Cyprus stated as far back as 1996, the restrictions on basic freedoms of Christians in Turkish-occupied areas of Cyprus have the effect ``of ensuring that with the passage of time, the communities (that is, Greek Cypriots and Maronites) would cease to exist.'' So I am glad that this resolution specifically urges the President, the Secretary of State, and the State Department Office of International Religious Freedom to report and take vigorous action on the traffic of Cypriot Orthodox heritage. The executive branch should take this seriously. Hopefully with the backing of the Congress, they will.

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