An investigation into how Greek Cypriots throughout the Hellenic diaspora have been affected by the missing persons of Cyprus from the 1974 Turkish invasion

Abstract

Abstract

The article aims to investigate how Greek Cypriots throughout the international community, and who have missing persons in their family from the 1974 Turkish invasion of Cyprus, have been affected for over more than three decades.

This globalised humanitarian issue of about 1,464 Greek Cypriot-and 494 Turkish Cypriot-missing persons - both military personnel and civilians, including women and children - is still an ongoing problem and is regarded as a very significant diplomatic Cypriot Hellenic issue. Following relevant United Nations General Assembly resolutions, a Committee on Missing Persons (CMP) was established in 1981 to investigate the fate of the missing persons in Cyprus. The CMP officially began its program for exhumations and identification of the missing persons on 30 June 2005, which includes relying mainly on testimonies gathered over the years. By June 2012, the remains of 321 people from the 1974 Turkish invasion have been identified after exhumations in the Turkish occupied areas of Cyprus - 255 of these remains belong to Greek Cypriot and 66 to Turkish Cypriot missing persons (CMP 2012).