EPP condemns evacuation and sealing-off of church at Rizokarpaso village

Wilfried Martens

On Christmas Day, Turkish Cypriot police entered the church of the Rizokarpaso Village, one of a handful of Greek Orthodox churches allowed to operate in the northern part of Cyprus controlled by the Turkish army, and disrupted the Christmas mass.

The Turkish Cypriot police ordered the evacuation of the church and demanded that the priest would strip of his clerical clothing. The church was then sealed-off. Following this disturbing incident, the President of the European People's Party (EPP), Wilfried Martens, made the following statement:

"On behalf of the EPP, I condemn this unprecedented act by the Turkish Cypriot police, which violates basic human rights and religious freedoms. I call upon all those responsible to ensure that this is not repeated. The EPP will closely monitor the situation."

source: epp.eu