The Municipal Council of Paphos, Cyprus, has renamed the Talaat Pasha Street into Street of Justice after examining requests from the Armenian and Pontian Greek communities.
Given the leading role of Talaat Pasha in the planning and execution of the genocides of Armenians and Pontian Greeks, and aware of the weight of its responsibility before the present and future generations, the Council, unanimously decided to remove the name of Talaat Pasha from a street name and rename it into Street of Justice by a majority vote.
The Council thus sends a strong message to the local community and the international community that people who committed genocide have no place in the bright pages of history.
“The struggle we are waging for justice in Cyprus is an element that must unite Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots at this historic juncture. It is noteworthy that there are many Turkish and Turkish Cypriot intellectuals and progressives who also describe Talaat Pasha as a horrible politician and a ruthless man,” reads a post on the Municipality’s Facebook page.
Talaat Pasha (1874-1921) served as Minister of the Interior of the Ottoman Empire and ordered the deportation and slaughter of minorities, mainly Armenians and Greeks. He was assassinated in 1921 by Armenian Soghomon Teilirian in Germany, where he had escaped in 1918.