North’s authorities ‘have blood on their hands’ over ‘nightclub’ worker death

The north’s authorities “have blood on their hands” over the death of a 25-year-old worker at a “nightclub” in the village of Yerolakkos, Turkish Cypriot opposition party CTP ‘MP’ Dogus Derya said on Tuesday.

Speaking in ‘parliament’, she stressed the likelihood that the woman was a victim of human trafficking, given that it is known and documented that many “nightclubs” in the Yerolakkos area and some elsewhere in the north effectively operate as brothels.

“Given that the north of Cyprus is outside international law, casino owners operate like that, bookmakers operate like that, drug dealers operate like that, human traffickers operate like that. You say the TRNC will live forever, well, be proud of it,” she said.

She added, “these nightclubs must be closed, the blood of the dead is on your hands, too”.

“Has any nightclub owner ever been punished for promoting prostitution? Many people employed at these venues have had their human rights violated and have been raped. I had previously defended the role of sex workers, but my mind has been changed under a government like this, and these nightclubs must be closed,” she said.

She then said that on Saturday, leading members of the north’s three ruling political parties, the UBP, the YDP, and the DP, will all celebrate International Women’s Day in spite of Monday’s incident.

“Officials from the UBP-YDP-DP government will share positive thoughts about women and celebrate the day, but last night, a sex slave was found dead in a nightclub.”

She went on to say that girls under the age of 18 years old are “brought and made to be sex slaves” at the venues, and alleged that the north’s authorities were confiscating their passports upon their arrival in Cyprus.

She also said that when the CTP’s Tebrruken Ulucay was ‘interior minister’ between 2013 and 2015, a hotline was created for sex trafficking victims to call, while brochures were printed to allow trafficking victims access to information which may save them.

“But then, the UBP came to power and the practice was abolished, because sex slavery is being forced by the state,” she added, before going on to accuse nightclub owners and members of the police of also raping the women and girls at the venues.

“If this is going to continue, do not recognise sex work, give them the right to organise. Save them from the nightclub owners who bring them here and rape them while saying ‘let me taste it first’. I was even going to say save them from the police who go to inspect the nightclubs and, while I don’t want to put the whole institution under suspicion, they are having sexual intercourse with the women as bribes.

“However, I have now changed my mind, because I think that nightclubs should be closed down under such governments.”

Derya’s words were largely echoed by ‘deputy parliament speaker’ and fellow CTP ‘MP’ Fazilet Ozdenefe.

“Women brought to the nightclubs are seen as property. I do not find it right that these women are employed in these conditions, far from society, far from sight, and far from conscience, in a manner which is against the law and frankly hypocritical,” she said.

‘Interior minister’ Dursun Oguz then played the issue down, saying the north hosts 27 such venues and that inspections carried out by the police and by local authorities “are continuing”.

“The events in terms of human rights will be examined, and we will evaluate what can be done within the legal framework. It is not right to criticise the government and the state about this … It is not right to accuse the state, the government, and the police in this way,” he said.

Meanwhile, the north’s human rights platform (IHP) was also quick to draw links between the venues and human trafficking.

“Nightclubs in the north of Cyprus have long been associated with human trafficking and systematic exploitation. The vast majority of women working in these venues are third-country nationals and are subject to indicators of human trafficking, such as having their passports confiscated, having restrictions placed on their freedom of movement, and being forced to work,” it said.

It also called for investigations into “how the woman was brought to this place, her working conditions, and the possible threats to which she was exposed”.

“Systematic exploitation must not be ignored. Women working in nightclubs are frequently subjected to psychological pressure, threats, and violence. Similar incidents have occurred before and will continue to occur unless precautions are taken,” it said.

The woman was found dead at a venue by the name of “Prenses” at around 10pm on Monday night. She had officially been employed as a receptionist at the venue, was found dead in a room she lived in at the venue, with the police’s investigation into the matter ongoing.

“Nightclubs” in the north have long been the subject of scrutiny regarding human trafficking, with the United States’ state department last year having written that the venues “act as brothels that commonly force women into sex trafficking”.