Unresolved Fate of Missing Persons from the 1974 Turkish Invasion
In a poignant revelation, it has come to light that the fate of 691 Greek Cypriots who disappeared during the 1974 Turkish invasion remains unresolved. The Committee on Missing Persons (CMP), tasked with uncovering the whereabouts of those missing, does not actively seek these individuals, nor does the Republic of Cyprus.
The reasons behind this decision are twofold. Firstly, there may have been external pressures to diminish the number of missing persons officially recognized. Secondly, and more distressingly, there could be evidence or testimonies suggesting that these individuals were casualties of the conflict, possibly executed during the hostilities. This second reason raises questions about the credibility of efforts to determine what happened to the missing persons.
Among those unaccounted for are 565 individuals who perished in the invasion and an additional 126 who were initially on a list of 1,619 missing persons but were later removed. Any remains of people from these two groups found so far were discovered inadvertently during CMP’s excavations.
The issue was recently brought to the fore during a session of the parliamentary committee on Refugees and Missing Persons. A document from the Office of the Commissioner for Humanitarian Affairs, dating back to 2000, was presented, explaining the exclusion of the 126 individuals from active searches by the CMP.
Marios Pagonis shared a heart-wrenching account of his family’s relentless search for his brother Michalis, one of the 126. Despite leads suggesting Michalis was last seen at the Mills of Karavas, he remains on the list of those not actively sought by CMP. The Pagoni family’s ordeal underscores the emotional toll on relatives still seeking closure decades after the invasion.
Vaso Pagoni, Michalis’s sister, expressed her dismay at the state’s approach, arguing that every possible effort should be made to ascertain the fate of those who sacrificed for their country. In response to these concerns, Anna Aristotelous, Commissioner for Humanitarian Affairs, noted that some cases, including that of Michalis Pagoni, have seen new testimonies emerge and have been re-added to the list of actively searched missing persons.
The unresolved status of these missing individuals continues to be a sensitive and painful subject for their families and for Cypriot society at large, as they seek answers and justice for their loved ones lost in the turmoil of the Turkish invasion.
