Dherynia, Cyprus. President Nikos Christodoulides said on Friday that there have been developments in the cases of Tasos Isaac and Solomos Solomou, who were killed in separate demonstrations in the buffer zone near Dherynia in August 1996. He said the government continues to act against those responsible.
Developments in the cases
Christodoulides described the deaths as murders, saying the events had been witnessed and did not constitute a matter of assessment or impression.
He said the matter remains unresolved and that there are developments which should not be discussed publicly. He added that he could inform the families privately, away from public attention.
“We are doing what we have to do for those responsible for the murders,” he said.
Motorcyclists’ tour of Greece
The President spoke as a group of motorcyclists arrived after touring Greece in recent weeks to mark the 30th anniversary of the deaths of Isaac and Solomou.
He said he had followed the trip through media and social media, comparing it to a school journey to Greece undertaken by Eoka fighter Evangelos Pallikarides.
Christodoulides said his father had accompanied Pallikarides on that trip and had often spoken about the experience and the feelings it created. Pallikarides, who came from Paphos, was executed by British authorities in 1957 after being convicted of illegal firearms possession.
Route and commemoration
Christodoulides said he was particularly impressed by the route selected by the motorcyclists, describing it as targeted.
The group visited Karavas on the island of Kythera, Keryneia village in the Achaea regional unit, and Salamis, near Piraeus. The locations share names with places in the north: Karavas in Kyrenia district, Kyrenia and ancient Salamis.
The President noted that the motorcyclists have been undertaking the initiative since 2008 and said there is an obligation to honour the memory of Isaac and Solomou.
