Nicosia, Cyprus. Cyprus is set to begin calculating the salaries of policeman Panayiotis Pavlou, who went missing during the 1974 Turkish invasion, after his family received no benefits. The House refugee committee continued discussing the case on Tuesday and called on the state to make amends to his family from Polystypos, Nicosia.
Committee calls for remedy after cancelled approval
Committee chairman Akel MP Nikos Kettiros said Pavlou’s wife, Maroulla, who died six months ago, never received proper recompense. He said an approval dated December 1974 was cancelled in January 1975 by an unknown person who initialled the decision and crossed out the cheque.
Law Office opinion clears way for salary calculation
MPs were informed on Tuesday that the Law Office had issued its opinion and the salaries are now to be calculated. Kettiros said neither social insurance nor the police was able to provide information on what salary Pavlou was being paid, and he called for the calculation process to proceed quickly.
Family faced financial burdens after disappearance
Kettiros said Pavlou’s wife was left with four children, the eldest eight at the time, and worked in fields to raise them. He added that she also had to pay off the loan on her husband’s car, which was requisitioned by the National Guard during the invasion.
MPs seek review of other 1974 cases
Members of the committee said all 1974 files must be re-examined to identify any similar cases. Kettiros said the committee did not have access to the files, nor did the association of relatives, and added that the family never received a benefit.
Moral recognition highlighted by committee chair
Kettiros said the issue was not about money but about moral satisfaction in memory of Pavlou and his wife.
Do you think the state should re-examine all 1974 files to identify similar cases?
