YBH Youth's statement about bicommunal activity

The prohobitive and increasingly random behavior of the regime against the bicommunal activities is going on at the expense of the most basic human rights and democratic norms.

The last bans were against the Patriotic Unity Movement (YBH) Youth which wanted to cross to the south to hold meetings with youth organizations in southern Cyprus, against the women that are members of YBH and Republican Turkish Party (CTP) that wanted to cross to the south to attend the event organized by POGO organized on the World Women's Day on March 8 and against the politicians, businessmen and people from other professions that wanted to have meetings at various dates and also against the journalists that wanted to follow the various events taking place at the Ledra Palace Hotel.

We have been witnessing the prohibition of the crossings from the north to the south, without being based on any regulation, for years. In similar fashion, the crossings from the south to the north have been randomly banned, or depending on the daily conditions prevented with the childish excuses.

The fact that the authorities do not even reply to the proposals to cross to the south violates our "right to proposals" guaranteed under regulations and also international law.

And, as mentioned in Article 13 in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights: 1) everyone has the right to freedom of movement and residence within the borders of each state. (2) Everyone has the right to leave any country, including his own, and to return to his country.

Similarly, Article 19: Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers. Article 20: (1) Everyone has the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and association. (2) No one may be compelled to belong to an association.

As can be seen above, our rights of movement, travel, assembly and impartation of thought are banned by regime in the north.

The ones who keep on talking about democracy and human rights are themselves not abiding by the international treaties and declarations safeguarding those and insisting on playing their game of "virtual democracy"

These prohibitions on bicommunal events by those who, at every opportunity preach human rights and democracy, at a time when the bicommunal talks are going on at the highest level, can be understood as a sign of insincerity.

The hindering of these bicommunal projects shows that the regime is insincere in its approach to the solution of the Cyprus problem and that it is insisting on its policy of "The status-quo is the solution"

The fact that the youth is being kept away from participation in the process which will determine its future in such fundamental ways is unacceptable. We, as the YBH Youth demand the right to participation and decision-making within the negotiations.

We demand that all the restrictions that apply to the bicommunal events be lifted and that all random behavior be ended with the conviction that the projects which bring the two communities together will make a positive contribution to the solution and that all sectors of the community will be able to participate in and make contribution to these events. We emphasize that the Cyprus problem has meant nothing but unemployment, economic problems, a medieval way of life and finally emigration for the youth.

If the rulers are so certain of the correctness of their enmity, there is no reason why they should be scared of the rapprochement of the two communities.

Or are they scared of us being able to bring to life our vision for the re-establishment of a common homeland by the people sharing the same island and the same culture despite all the pain they suffered, "without forgetting, but forgiving" the past. Are they scared that such a future will mean an end to their wealth and fortune which they acquired unjustly?

We should not forget the words said many years ago that no empire rooted in oppression has lasted forever and that at the end of each night, the brightest days have dawned. The darkness could never reign forever.

The behavior of those attacking the meeting of people from different backgrounds with great hatred at a time when the bicommunal talks are going on at the highest level is not acceptable.

We would like to emphasize that such behavior by certain groups in southern Cyprus is helping the regime in the north. The fact that the chauvinist and racist factors are attacking the bicommunal activities despite being from different communities shows that they have the same mentality and the same old-fashioned racist mind-set.

The propaganda by the racist groups in the north should be taken into consideration too. It is obvious that their teacher is the propaganda master of Nazi Germany, Goebbels. We invite these people who act according to Goebbels "tell a lie and somebody is bound to believe it" to publish in a moral and ethical way.

Although the YBH and YBH Youth have tried to inform the public of their activities, due to the black-out on anything that comes from the YBH, most of the media do not broadcast these. All the activities, however, are described in the party's newspaper Yenicag. But this has not been enough to prevent the students of Goebbels from hiding them from the public and producing their untruthful propaganda about them to provocate the people against YBH and YBH Youth. We emphasize that the publications which constantly call for the "punishment of these traitors" will be responsible for any attack against us. We also point out that using newspapers and articles to personally attack people and call for their silencing has nothing to do with the freedom of expression and emphasize the need to adhere to the media ethics in the press.

YBH Youth is going to carry on with its bicommunal activities and work towards the abolition of all the obstacles in their way. We also call on all international youth organizations to work in the same direction.

We reiterate our desire to take place in the most active way in the decision process that will determine our future and once again emphasize that no oppressive, outdated mentality will be able to hinder us.

Murat Kanatli on behalf of the YBH Youth Executive Committee

 20.3.2002