Speech by Aristos Damianos, Member of the Political Bureau and AKEL MP, at the Memorial Service for the Fallen and the Missing Persons from the community of Pera Chorio

26 July 2026

Dear relatives of the heroes and freedom fighters,

Compatriots,

This year marks 52 years since the fascist coup by the Greek Junta and EOKA B, and the illegal Turkish invasion and occupation. More than half a century have elapsed. Pain, anger and indignation are the emotions that overwhelm us. And they are intensified by the systematic attempt to distort the historical truth.

For this reason, the duty to preserve our memory and to pay tribute is both a heavy burden and pressing need. That is precisely why, every July, we stand in reverence and lay laurels on the graves of our heroes. Those who did not falter and gave the most precious thing they had in defence of their homeland: their very lives. In a just but unequal struggle.

In this unequal struggle, your progressive and democratic community, Pera Chorio, lost seven young men in the defence of their homeland.

Giorgos Georgiou Kyprianou was just 25 years old. He had managed to enjoy his wedding but did not live to hold his daughter, Chrysou, in his arms. He enlisted as a reservist to defend his homeland. All trace of him was lost on 14 August. His remains were found four decades later, in the village of Mora. He was buried with the honours he deserved in September 2015 in Alambra.

Minas Papavasiliou was still serving in the army. He was not yet 20 years old. During the temporary ceasefire before the second phase of the Turkish invasion, he went on leave. His relatives and friends urged him not to return. He replied: ‘I am a soldier.’ ‘I have a duty to my country.’ And he returned. He fought with the 361st Infantry Battalion at Klepini. From there on, no further information exists. His remains were found at Lefkoniko. He was buried in Pera Chorio in February 2024.

Panagiotis Karantonas was born in 1954 in Agios Amvrosios, Kyrenia. When the invasion broke out, he joined the 33rd Commando Squadron, tasked with recapturing Agios Ilarion. He fought on rugged hilltops. The mission appears to have been successful. He took up defensive positions with his comrades, awaiting reinforcements to hold their ground. Reinforcements that never arrived. That is where his journey ended. His parents never found out what had become of him. His remains were only discovered in 2021. His funeral took place in 2022 – almost half a century after his final battle.

Theodoulos Theodoulou, the youngest of them all, was just 18 years old. He was from Palaikythro. He served in the 286th Infantry Battalion. He fought in the fierce battles at Agios Ermolaos and on the Lapatsa hill, in Konteno. He fell there, alongside his comrades-in-arms. Their remains were found in a mass grave. His funeral took place in 2017, without his parents present, who had passed away whilst enduring the anguish and heartbreak of not knowing their son’s fate.

The community of Pera Chorio also counts three missing persons. The shadows that linger amongst us. The lives lost without us ever knowing how.

Georgios Rousos, Andreas Kourounas and Christos Kostis. All aged 25–26. They were called up as reservists. Together with the 305th Infantry Battalion, they were ordered to reinforce the defensive line at Mia Milia–Koutsoventi. Some of the reservists had taken rifles from the Idali depots. Others set off unarmed. They sent our boys off to fight without weapons. The battle was unequal. The situation was hopeless. On 14 August of that terrible year for Cyprus, all trace of them was lost.

The youth of Cyprus. Young men, brave and spirited, bid farewell to their loved ones and returned years later in a small coffin, with a piece of paper, a flag, but no apology. And others who never returned, writing one of the most dramatic chapters of the Cypriot tragedy. That of the missing. That of the black-and-white photographs held by mothers. That of the empty chair at the family table.

Compatriots,

52 years since the treacherous coup and the Turkish invasion.

With our people and our land still divided.

With the uncertainty and insecurity caused by the occupation.

With a section of the Greek Cypriot community showing signs of weariness or, worse still, of coming to terms with the status quo.

But the narrative “we on one side and the others on the other” is not a solution.

Partition and occupation are a disaster.

The current status quo is not sustainable, as the UN Secretary-General rightly points out; he will soon be in Cyprus for a new attempt to resume meaningful dialogue. Besides, one would have to be historically illiterate to believe that partition could be the solution.

How could compromising with the occupation, the ceding of territory, the perpetuation of our people’s displacement as refugees, the insecurity caused by the presence of occupying troops, and the ongoing alteration of Cyprus’s demographic character, with Turkish Cypriots emigrating and the number of settlers increasing in the occupied areas represent a solution?

Only the liberation and reunification of the island will bring security and vindicate the sacrifices of our brave young men.

That is why we persevere and will not give up.

True to the struggles and sacrifices of our country’s young people, we will continue to fight for an end to the occupation, the withdrawal of the Turkish occupying forces, an end to the colonisation of the occupied territories, and the abolition of intervention rights and the anachronistic guarantee regime. For one state with a single sovereignty, a single international legal personality, a single citizenship, and unity among the people, the institutions and the economy.

Dear friends,

Our priority will remain the tracing of all our missing persons and the determination of their fate, so as to end the torment of uncertainty for their relatives.

At the same time, in memory of our heroes, and honouring all those who fought for democracy, our homeland, freedom and dignity, we pledge to continue the political struggle.

Until their sacrifice is vindicated.

Until our homeland is vindicated.

The annual memorial services are a fitting tribute to those who fell for democracy, freedom and dignity.

We must prove ourselves worthy of them by fighting to reunite our homeland and to hand down to our own children a Cyprus of peace, prosperity and security.

Honour and glory to our heroes!

May their memory live on forever!