Kuzey Kibris Turk Cumhuriyeti Cumhurbaskani Sayin Rauf Raif Denktas;
Kuzey Kibris Turk Cumhuriyeti Parlementosu;
Kuzey Kibris Turk Cumhuriyeti Hukumeti

TURKISH CYPRIOT VIGIL LAUNCHES PHOTOGRAPH CAMPAIGN

The Turkish Cypriot organisation Vigil for Justice, which has been holding avigil outside Downing Street, central London for the past 10 months, seeksto hammer home the message that Britain's biased policies in Cyprus ishurting the lives of 200,000 people living north of the buffer zone. The Vigil has launched a new campaign calling on Turkish Cypriots living in North Cyprus to donate photographs of themselves, which the group will display as part of their protest. The photographs are to be placed underneath the big, bold banner of "RECOGNISE OUR IDENTITY, OUR RIGHTS AND OUR STATE" which is intended to send a clear message to British Prime Minister Tony Blair and Foreign Secretary Robin Cook that Turkish Cypriots will no longer tolerate being treated like second class citizens in their own country. Gursel Ismail, one of the original members of the Vigil stated, "When we first came to Downing Street back in November, we were armed with just some banners. Since that time we have made a more permanent home for ourselves and are looking to make a bigger impact on the thousands of people who pass by the Vigil everyday. Having pictures of the very people affected by these outrageous and inhumane embargoes will make it far easier for us to explain why Britain must adopt a more even-handed approach to Cyprus." Situated on one of the busiest stretches of road in London, the Vigil is impossible to miss with its flags, protest boards and a tent which sits four people. Located as it is near Trafalgar Square, the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben, the Vigil is seen by MPs, foreign diplomats, journalists, businesspeople, workers, tourists and thousands of other commuters everyday. Sertac Bahri, a young Turkish Cypriot member of the Vigil, believes "It is without doubt the most successful campaign in the UK to date in trying to expose the plight of the Turkish Cypriots to the British public." The Vigil organisers are confident their Photograph Campaign will be successful. With the major media in North Cyprus, such as Kibris newspaper (the biggest selling daily newspaper) and Bayrak Radyo Televizyon (the state-owned radio and television corporation), pledging to give widespread coverage to the campaign, the organisers believe they will be able to collect enough photographs to fill a 20ft board. The Photograph Campaign will last for one month, until the end of October 2000. Turkish Cypriots wanting to support the campaign should send their photos together with a note stating the names and ages of those in the photos, and any messages they would like to relay to the world via the Vigil organisers to the following address: VIGIL FOTOGRAF KAMPANYASI, P.K. 840, LEFKOSA (for those outside of North Cyprus ONLY, please add) NORTH CYPRUS, via MERSIN 10, TURKEY ENDS NOTES TO EDITORS: Since the Greek Cypriots seized power in December 1963, Turkish Cypriots have had to endure economic, social and political embargoes, which have effectively denied them direct contact with the rest of the world. Today all communications, travel and trade between North Cyprus and international community is conducted via Turkey. Due to the lack of recognition of their rights and State, Turkish Cypriots are not represented in any international political or economic bodies, nor are they able to participate in social and cultural events, including sports. Vigil for Justice has been stationed opposite Downing Street since 22 November 1999 in order to make peaceful protest against Guarantor Britain's failure to fulfil its moral and legal obligations to the Turkish Cypriots. The Vigil's organisers aim to raise awareness amongst the decision-makers in Britain (politicians, policy makers, businesspeople, the media, etc.) that Turkish Cypriots, like their Greek Cypriot neighbours, deserve the respect and recognition of their identity, rights and State. As far as the organisers know, the Vigil is the only demonstration in London that occurs 24 hours a day. Which means that at any given time, there will be at least one person manning the tent.

For more details, please contact:
Mr. Erdil Ataman
ataman@btinternet.com
tel: 0956 352 216

Ms. Ipek Hamit
ipekh@excite.com
tel: 0777 623 0466