Niazi Kizilyurek apologizes for 1996 Isaac and Solomou killings

Niazi Kizilyurek, a Turkish Cypriot academic and former MEP, has issued a public apology regarding the 1996 killings of Tassos Isaac and Solomos Solomou in the Deryneia buffer zone. Marking the 30th anniversary of the events, Kizilyurek expressed profound shame, stating, “I felt great shame! ... As a Turkish Cypriot, I felt shame. Because the killers were acting in the name of all Turkish Cypriots.”

Kizilyurek described the summer of 1996 as a “black month,” alleging that the violence was not spontaneous but organized by nationalist groups with the cooperation of the Turkish state and paramilitary structures. He specifically addressed Anastasia Isaac, the daughter of Tassos Isaac, noting she was born shortly after her father's death, and stated it is a collective duty to apologize to her.

In response to the apology, Anastasia Isaac criticized the gesture, stating that the duty is not to apologize but to ensure those responsible are held accountable, referring to the perpetrators as individuals who were later integrated into political leadership. The 1996 incidents involved the fatal beating of Tassos Isaac by a mob and the shooting of Solomos Solomou while he attempted to lower a Turkish flag.