The Bathtub Massacre in Cyprus
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By Uzay Bulut
Turkey illegally invaded northern Cyprus in 1974. Today, international law and the Cyprus’ sovereignty remain violated as about 43,000 Turkish troops and over 160,000 Turkish settlers remain in the occupied territory. The 1974 Turkish invasion was not planned overnight. Starting in at least the 1950s, Turkey engaged in many acts of violence and propaganda against Cyprus which attempted to justify its invasion and subsequent criminal actions.
One of the more infamous of such incidents is what came to be known as the 1963 bathtub massacre in Nicosia. According to the Turkish narrative, Greek Cypriots brutally murdered the three young children and wife of Turkish major Nihat Ilhan in the bathtub of their house. According to the Turkish newspaper Hurriyet, the incident happened as follows: