Cyprus-Forum.com

[bill cobbett]

These allegations appear in Greek at Politis under the headline...

Οι αγνοούμενοι που ρίχτηκαν στη θάλασσα και το μυστικό του Αποστόλου Βαρνάβα

http://www.politis.com.cy/cgibin/hweb?- ... &-V=stiles

This is an English translation prepared by a friend...

The Missing People who were thrown in the sea and the secret of Apostolos Varnavas
by Şener Levent

I think that the events I will tell you about today have not been written about before. I learnt about them recently. And I was surprised they have remained a secret for so long. Are these things that should be revealed? Seventeen years have passed since 1996, and only today we discover these events by the testament of an eyewitness. To put it simply, with the establishment of the Committee on Missing Persons (CMP), the eyewitness says, concern and panic took hold in Turkey.

A decision was taken to destroy the mass graves of 1974. For this purpose a specialist team was sent to the island, to find and destroy the graves.
We all know that 1996 was a critical year for Cyprus with lots of events. In 1996 Solomou was shot in Derenia whilst trying to climb the flagpole. In 1996 Isaac was beaten to death in the same area. In 1996 was also the Apostolos Varnavas monastery raid. In 1996 Kutlu Adali [Turkish Cypriot author and journalist] was murdered. The events I will describe are closely related to these last two events.

Work began immediately, the team from Turkey’s purpose was to find and destroy all evidence of Greek Cypriot mass graves. Their first task was to find people who knew the whereabouts of these graves.

Operations were shrouded in secrecy. The mass killings of Greek Cypriots were carried out particularly after the crimes at Maratha, Aloa and Sandalary.

Following these events the mass indiscriminate killing of Greek Cypriots prisoners began – children, elderly – without distinction were carried out by Turkish soldiers and by some Turkish Cypriots.

Whoever knew, pointed out the graves they knew to the special team that had arrived from Turkey. In Afania, in Assia, in Beykeuy, Tziaos and wherever else they were found. They went to the closed area of Famagusta. There, there were some who had been murdered and buried in the rubbish dump to avoid the need to dig a grave, and earth was piled on top of them.

Those in the mass graves were exhumed and loaded on wagons. They were transported and dumped at sea. And now they whisper it in our ear after so many years. If all this is true, it mean those searching, are searching in vain. They will never find them.

Let’s come to the story of Apostolos Varnavas. Everyone thinks that a treasure is buried there in the garden of the monastery and that is why it was dug up in a raid? This is not the truth according to our witness. There was a mass grave there, and the special team from Turkey visited that place too. Those buried there had not been murdered there. They were killed elsewhere and buried there.

And what about Kutlu Adali? It is said that Kutlu Adali knew about the decision taken in Turkey and the operation that was being carried out. So he started investigating the raid at Apostolos Varnavas. He wrote about this issue in various newspaper articles.

It is said that the military administration invited him to their headquarters and they warned him about this issue. Kutlu Adali did not give credence to the threats. After all he was not the sort of person who feared such things. So the final decision was taken about him. He was shot and killed outside his house, thus not giving him the chance to reveal his secret about Apostolos Varnavas. Just like they did not give the chance to Ahmet Muzaffer Gürkan and Ayhan Hikmet to reveal who planted the bomb at the Bayraktar and Ömeriye mosques [in Nicosia on the night of March 24, 1962]. It was not treasure and things of that kind they were searching for but mass graves.

We will never know how many remains of missing people were disposed of at sea during these operations. The only thing we know is that these remains will never be found. Therefore to remember them eternally we need to build a monument for the ‘unknown victim’. So we can look at this monument and feel shame for even this will not be enough to bring forgiveness.

15/11/2013

[ayyannili]

After looking into this, I found that the original article is Şener's Nov. 15, 2013 column in Afrika
http://s10.postimg.org/pja4qdvuh/kayiplar.png

with another English translation here
http://www.hri.org/news/cyprus/tcpr/last/last.html#07

[B25]

Did anyone really expect any honesty from Turkey? Did anyone really expect Turkey to be interested in the CMP and bringing up the bodies she so brutally murdered?
True or not, it is the kind of thing Turkey would do, hence it is very believable and may they al die a very painful and horrible death. Lampron na tous kapsi tous poushto Tourkous je jinous pou tous ipostirizoun.
May all those affected RIP.

[Nikitas]

Some years ago Greek intelligence got statements from a Turkish soldier who took part in what he termed mass killings of several hundred captives in the Famagusta area. This present report seems to corroborate that statement. Apostolos Varnavas is in the Famagusta area and the descriptions match. And let us not forget Denktash stating cynically that there are no missing persons left alive, that they were all killed during the invasion.

Above all in terms of cynicism is Eceveit's statement to a tv reporter that if only the GCs and Greeks had agreed to the Turkish ultlimatum in Geneva then Turkey would not have had to carry out Attila II and be "forced to kill 4500 people". This is the "best in NATO" army saying it could not discipline its troops so that they would not kill thousands of unarmed fleeing civilians.

[Lordo]

is it any more shocking than finding murataga atlilar sandallilar and doni people wiped out. some burnt after murdered. is it really that shocking or is that gc life is worth a thousand tc life.

[ayyannili]

is it any more shocking than finding murataga atlilar sandallilar and doni people wiped out. some burnt after murdered. is it really that shocking or is that gc life is worth a thousand tc life.

Those massacres were horrible crimes against humanity, but that's not a counter argument, you're just changing the subject.

There is a connection, though. The Muratağa, Sandallar and Atlılar massacres were done by EOKA B as retaliation for the Turkish invasion (i.e. the second operation that turned the intervention into an invasion). Then in retaliation, the Turkish army started massacring their POWs.

[kurupetos]

^^ I haven't seen that for a long time. Interesting...

[B25]

The Muratağa, Sandallar and Atlılar massacres ......

More turkish made up lies to justify their invasion. No such thing took place, but the invasion most certainly did.

[ayyannili]

The Muratağa, Sandallar and Atlılar massacres ......

More turkish made up lies to justify their invasion. No such thing took place, but the invasion most certainly did.

The fail is strong in this one.....

[boulio]

is it any more shocking than finding murataga atlilar sandallilar and doni people wiped out. some burnt after murdered. is it really that shocking or is that gc life is worth a thousand tc life.

Those massacres were horrible crimes against humanity, but that's not a counter argument, you're just changing the subject.

There is a connection, though. The Muratağa, Sandallar and Atlılar massacres were done by EOKA B as retaliation for the Turkish invasion (i.e. the second operation that turned the intervention into an invasion). Then in retaliation, the Turkish army started massacring their POWs.

ayyannili what is your take on were the should go with the talks?