Supreme Court awards €100,000 to family of two men kidnapped in 1974
The Legal Service said the kidnapping of Loizos Hadjigeorgiou and his son Giorgos requires a targeted domestic investigation.
Strongylos, Cyprus. The Supreme Court last week awarded €100,000 to the surviving family of two men kidnapped from Strongylos in August 1974, in a case the Legal Service said differs from other missing persons cases.
The Legal Service said the men were allegedly kidnapped by fellow villagers who were citizens of the Republic of Cyprus, creating an increased obligation for Cypriot authorities to investigate.
Supreme Court findings
The men, Loizos Hadjigeorgiou and his son Giorgos, were kidnapped from their village in the Mesaoria plain on August 15, 1974.
The Supreme Court stated that they “were allegedly kidnapped by other persons – their fellow villagers, who were also citizens of the Republic of Cyprus – and not by members of a military force or the Turkish army”.
The Legal Service said the case substantially and qualitatively differs from other missing persons cases linked to the events of the Turkish invasion of 1974, as it establishes obligations for authorities in Cyprus rather than in Turkey.
Investigation obligation
According to the Legal Service, the competent authorities must conduct a targeted, specialised and intensive investigation, including examining possible criminal responsibility at the domestic level.
It said this was necessary to ensure the effective administration of justice in a state governed by the rule of law.
Family lawsuit
The relatives filed a lawsuit in 2009, stating that the two men had been abducted and forcibly disappeared by a group of armed Turkish Cypriot villagers who were citizens of the Republic of Cyprus during the second phase of the Turkish invasion.
They said the abduction took place while Strongylos was occupied and under the control of its armed Turkish Cypriot residents.
The relatives argued that the Republic of Cyprus had been negligent by failing to investigate information or testimony concerning the Turkish Cypriots allegedly involved, and by failing to arrest, interrogate and prosecute them.
They said they had submitted signed letters to the authorities requesting the arrest of suspects and their appearance before a court.
Right to life
The Legal Service said on Monday that the Supreme Court decision made extensive reference to Article 2 of the European Convention on Human Rights, which states that everyone’s right to life must be protected by law.
It said the court found that the Republic of Cyprus had not fulfilled that obligation by failing to investigate the kidnapping of the two men.
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