Cyprus: 50 years because the Turkish invasion, the drama of the lacking continues – 2024-07-22 21:52:51

Half a century has handed because the barbaric Turkish invasion of Cyprus and the drama of the lacking, maybe probably the most tragic facet of the Cypriot tragedy, continues. Of the 1,619 lacking in 1974, 776 haven’t but been recognized, nor do they even know the place they’re, though mass graves of Greek Cypriots and Helladites have been found. And probably the most tragic, slightly lady simply six months previous, was included within the lacking till not too long ago. Her bones have been positioned in Trachoni Kythraia and recognized. She is the youngest lacking particular person within the Cyprus tragedy.

The lacking

However the drama remains to be the lacking individuals. Based mostly on the proof that exists (and printed in a sensational report by SigmaLive) but in addition on unshakable testimonies, throughout and after the Turkish invasion, 1000’s of Greek Cypriots have been arrested and held in focus camps in Cyprus by the Turkish military and the Turkish Cypriot paramilitaries, who have been appearing underneath Ankara’s directions. Greater than 2,000 prisoners of battle had been illegally transported to Turkey and held in Turkish prisons. A few of them weren’t launched. Tons of of different Greek Cypriots, each troopers and civilians (together with the aged, girls and youngsters) disappeared in areas underneath Turkish occupation and are at the moment lacking.

Ankara’s claims

Regardless of Ankara’s post-invasion claims that Turkish forces have been taking no prisoners, some lucky circumstances allowed with the assistance of the Worldwide Crimson Cross and the United Nations to find a complete of eight lacking folks in prisons in occupied Cyprus, the place the Turks have been hiding them.

The dad and mom, spouses, kinfolk of the lacking individuals, one after the opposite, go away life with out having obtained solutions concerning the destiny of their family members. On the funerals of those that are recognized, more often than not the very shut household, the spouses and oldsters are absent as a result of they’ve handed away and the eulogists at the moment are pronounced by grandchildren and even great-grandchildren. Lacking Greeks in addition to Greeks are additionally included within the checklist of bi-communal conflicts of ’63-’64. 17 have been recognized and 27 are being sought. Three of the 44 lacking are Greeks, most of whom haven’t but been recognized.

36 lacking minors

Photos of troopers killed in the course of the Turkish invasion of Cyprus in 1974 seem on crosses on the Makedonitissa Tomb army cemetery in Nicosia

Concerning the ladies and youngsters who disappeared in the summertime of ’74, an inventory of 36 names was compiled for minors, in accordance with SigmaLive. Of those, 20 have been recognized. The youngest lacking particular person (as we talked about above) from this checklist is barely six months previous and the oldest is eighteen. There are 118 feminine lacking individuals and solely 26 have been recognized from this checklist. A separate checklist contains the feminine victims of the invasion . There are 248 folks and 38 have been recognized. In whole, the checklist of lacking and lacking girls contains 366 names. Solely 64 have been discovered.