Imbros and Tenedos

In 1923 the predominately Greek-populated islands of Imvros and Tenedos were given to Turkey for geostrategical reasons on condition that they “shall enjoy a special administrative organisation composed of local elements and furnishing every guarantee for the native non-Moslem population in so far as concerns local administration and the protection of persons and property. The maintenance of order will be assured therein by a police force recruited from amongst the local population by the local administration above provided for and placed under its orders.” (Treaty of Lausanne; Article 14.)

Since then the image of these islands is one of destroyed schools, uprooted villages, uprooted families and padlocked houses.

The demographic structure of the islands has been illegally changed, so that that the population ratio of 9,000 Greeks for 100 Turks has been changed to 250 Greeks for 7,500 Turks today.

In 1964, Greek-language schools on the islands were closed down and in 1965, agricultural prisons were created with the forced expropriation of the most fertile land belonging to ethnic Greeks. Today 99% of Greek properties have been expropriated.

From 1960 to 1990, 200 churches and monasteries were destroyed so as to uproot Hellenism from these originally Greek islands, which are referred to by Homer, entirely.