Greek Cypriot lawmaker addresses historical Turkish Cypriot massacres

Yorgos Kukumas, a lawmaker and official from the AKEL political party in the Greek Cypriot administration, has addressed historical massacres committed against Turkish Cypriots. In a published article, Kukumas described the killings in Muratağa, Sandallar, Atlılar, and Taşkent as “one of the greatest shames in the country’s history.”

Kukumas noted that these crimes, occurring during the 1963-64 period and the summer of 1974, have been largely ignored by Greek Cypriot society and the perpetrators have not been punished. He detailed how EOKA-B members entered villages to collect residents, transporting them to schools and camps. He reported that between July 20 and August 14, 1974, raids involved looting, theft, and violence, culminating in the mass killing of 126 women, children, and elderly Turkish Cypriots, whose bodies were reportedly buried in mass graves using bulldozers. Additionally, he cited the killing of 84 unarmed Turkish Cypriots in Taşkent.