Justice for Cyprus SEKA Victoria has announced a programme events to commemorate the 48th anniversary of the Turkish invasion of the island which was launched on 20 July, 1974, starting on Friday with a candlelight vigil on the steps of the Victorian Parliament House.
The vigil will commemorate the illegal and ongoing occupation of 37percent of Cyprus by Turkish forces.
On Saturday, 16 July, Radio Hellas 3XY (on 1422 AM) will dedicate a two-hour (1pm to 3pm) programme to commemorating the invasion which will be hosted by Lambrini Lambrou. During the programme there will be a minute’s silence during which listeners can light a candle in memory of the fallen.
At 10 am on Sunday, 17 July, Bishop Kyriakos of Sozopolis will lead the memorial service at St Efstathios Church in South Melbourne, which will be followed at 12 noon by a wreath-laying ceremony at the Australian Hellenic Memorial on Birdwood Avenue near the Shine of Remembrance in Melbourne.
From 12 to 2pm on Sunday, Ms Lambrou will host a Radio 3XY programme on Cyprus and members of the community are invited to send messages of solidarity by calling (03) 9602 1422.
At 3pm, the Republic of Cyprus’ Deputy Minister of Shipping, Vassilis Demetriadis who is the special guest of Justice of Cyprus SEKA Victoria, will open a photographic exhibition at Coburg Library which is entitled Cyprus through the eyes of a photographer.
The organisation noted that Cyprus was a member of the European Union and was a free democratic country with vibrant communities that had lived in peace and harmony for centuries. Justice for Cyprus said the1974 Turkish invasion of the island and its partitioning had separated two communities by force. The Turkish government was insisting that the two communities could not live together and continued to violate the human rights of both Greek Turkish Cypriots.
Justice for Cyprus SEKA Victoria called on people to: “Let’s all join together to stand Up for Cyprus. Join us in our vow that we will not forget.
We will keep the memory of one free Cyprus alive. We will continue to advocate for peace for our divided land for all Cypriot people.”
