Twentyseven years ago. the island of Cyprus became an independent state. But for 13 of those years. the northern part of that island has been under the grip of foreign occupation. When Turkish troops invaded. 13 years ago yesterday. 200.000 Cypriots were driven from their homes. deprived of their possessions. and reduced to refugees in their own land. Since that time. the Turkish Government has imported 60.000 settlers from mainland Turkey to turn its occupation zone into a Turkish colony. Thirteen years of occupation have also seen the looting and destruction of the ancient Greek cultural heritage in Turkishheld Cyprus. including the vandalizing of churches and the theft of precious artifacts for sale abroad.
Keywords matched
refugees