Newsroom
Fewer Greek Cypriots are crossing into the Turkish-occupied north following last month’s controversial arrests of five Greek Cypriots by the occupation authorities.
The arrests took place on July 19, with one man accused of entering the occupied north “without immigration checks” and the other four accused of “helping” him. All five are due to appear before a so-called military court in occupied Nicosia on Thursday.
According to police figures, crossings by Greek Cypriots plunged 14% the weekend immediately after the arrests, from nearly 11,800 the weekend before to just over 10,100 on July 26-27. Crossings by Turkish Cypriots into the Republic dropped almost 13% that same weekend.
Numbers have since recovered somewhat but remain lower than before the incident. In early August, just over 11,200 Greek Cypriots crossed north, still about 5% fewer than pre-arrest levels. The following weekend saw 10,869 crossings, nearly 8% below the July average.
The dip in movement wasn’t entirely one-sided. On the July 19-20 weekend, which also marked the anniversary of the 1974 Turkish invasion, crossings dropped in both directions, with 10,007 Greek Cypriots, 6,114 foreign nationals, and 7,877 Turkish Cypriots passing through the checkpoints.
When factoring in foreign nationals, total crossings into the occupied north actually rose slightly in August compared to pre-arrest weekends, largely due to third-country visitors. Turkish Cypriot crossings south also rebounded in early August, with over 11,900 recorded on the first weekend of the month, up 10% from pre-arrest numbers.
While checkpoint traffic appears to be stabilizing, the data shows the arrests have left a mark on the free flow of people across the divide.
