The year 2023 started with people in Cyprus picking their new religious and political leaders.
Then, devastating earthquakes in neighbouring Turkey and Syria shook buildings across the island and claimed the lives of around 60,000 people, including more than 40 Turkish Cypriots.
In September, people woke up to the sight of looted shops and to that of the darkest underbelly of Cypriot society, as migrants and migrant-owned businesses were targeted during repeated fascist riots.
This sparked counter-protests as thousands flocked to the streets of Nicosia and Limassol to show solidarity with migrants and shout that “refugees are welcome here.”
See the most important photos of the year by photojournalists collaborating with in-cyprus, Phileleftheros and Reuters:
George of Cyprus during his enthronement as Archbishop in Nicosia, Cyprus, January 8, 2023. Photo by George Christophorou.President Anastasiades meets with the UK’s Princess Anne at the presidential palace in Nicosia, Cyprus, January 11, 2023. Photo by George Christophorou.Truck carrying frozen pigs overturns blocking traffic for hours in Nicosia, Cyprus, January 20, 2023. Photo by George Christophorou.Thousands of workers stage a general strike over CoLA in Nicosia, Cyprus, January 26, 2023. Photo by George Christophorou.Candidate for the presidency Andreas Mavroyiannis looks on during a pre-election event in Nicosia, Cyprus, February 2023. Photo by Reuters/ Yiannis Kourtoglou.Two men watch as the exit polls for the presidential elections are announced on February 12, 2023, in Nicosia, Cyprus. Photo by George Christophorou. Newly elected President of Cyprus Nikos Christodoulides gestures as he speaks to supporters during a proclamation ceremony at Eleftheria stadium in Nicosia, Cyprus, February 12, 2023. Photo by George Christophorou.UNFICYP staff loading packages with humanitarian aid for earthquake-struck Turkey and Syria in Nicosia, Cyprus, February 15, 2023. Photo by George Christophorou.Outgoing president Nicos Anastasiades bids farewell to staff and members of the media at the presidential palace in Nicosia, Cyprus, February 28, 2023. Photo by George Christophorou.The first council of ministers under President Nikos Christodoulides is sworn in in Nicosia, Cyprus, March 1, 2023. Photo by George Christophorou.Annita Demetriou becomes the first woman leader of the Democratic Rally (Disy) in Nicosia, Cyprus, March 11, 2023. Photo by George Christophorou.End of an era for the housing projects that were built to accommodate Greek Cypriot people displaced during the 1974 war, as 43 buildings were set for demolition. Photo taken in Nicosia, Cyprus, March 15, 2023 by George Christophorou.LCpl Skye Robertson entertaining a child in arms as its mother is processed for their return to the UK at RAF Akrotiri, Limassol, Cyprus, April 2023. Photo: UK Ministry of Defence/Sergeant Paul Oldfield.A fire caused extensive damage at the Russian Cultural Centre in Nicosia, Cyprus, April 26, 2023. Photo by George Christophorou.Kurdish militant activist Kenan Ayaz gestures as he is being taken for a trial at the Supreme Court in Nicosia, Cyprus, May 09, 2023. Photo by George Christophorou.Andrew Lambrou from Cyprus performs during the grand final of the 2023 Eurovision Song Contest in Liverpool, Britain, May 13, 2023. Photo by Reuters/ Phil Noble.Members of Cyprus’s LGBTQ+ communities from both sides attend the annual bi-communal LGBTQ+ Pride at Ledra Palace in Nicosia, Cyprus, June 17, 2023. Photo by George Christophorou.Andriana Nicolaou speaks during a protest over the alleged cover-up of the murder of her son, Thanasis, whose death was initially deemed a suicide by state pathologists, in Nicosia, July 12, 2023. Photo by George Christophorou.Men shelter from the sun with umbrellas during a heatwave in Nicosia, Cyprus, July 2023. Photo by Reuters/Yiannis Kourtoglou.A man watches as a recycling plant burns in Geri, Nicosia, July 16, 2023. Photo by George Christophorou.A dog walks by during a military parade on the anniversary of the Turkish invasion of Cyprus in occupied Nicosia July 20, 2023. Photo by George Christophorou.President Nikos Christodoulides and Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar pay a joint visit to the anthropological laboratory of the Committee on Missing Persons (CMP) in Nicosia, July 28, 2023. Photo by George Christophorou.The aftermath of a fire that broke out in Alassa, Limassol, Cyprus August 5, 2023. Photo by George Christophorou.Aftermath of a wildfire in the Limassol district, Cyprus, August 7, 2023. Photo by George Christophorou.Civilians and security personnel from the Turkish Cypriot side scuffle with UN peacekeepers in the buffer zone near Pyla, Larnaca, August 18, 2023. Screengrab from UNFICYP’s X account.Cyprus’ Elena Kulichenko reacts during the final of the Women’s High Jump at the World Athletics Championship, Budapest, Hungary, August 27, 2023. Photo by Reuters/Aleksandra Szmigiel.People wake up to the sight of damaged shopfronts, burned bins and looted shops, after migrant-owned businesses were targeted during a far-right demonstration in Limassol, Cyprus, September 2, 2023. Photo by George Christophorou.Residents of Xylofagou try to break the Guinness World Record for the largest potato fry, Famagusta, Cyprus September 8, 2023. Photo by George Christophorou.Thousands of people took to the streets to march against fascism and in solidarity with migrants, in Nicosia, Cyprus, September 10, 2023. Photo by Demetris Loutsios.Luis Figo, Zvonimir Boban, other European football legends and UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin, are seen playing with primary school pupils during a UEFA Grassroots event in Limassol, Cyprus September 26, 2023. Photo by Reuters/Yiannis Kourtoglou.Ultra-Orthodox Jewish people carry their belongings before boarding a ship for U.S. nationals and their immediate family members, as they leave Israel headed for Cyprus, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, in Haifa, Israel, October 16, 2023. Photo by Reuters/Shir Torem.People demonstrate calling for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Nicosia, Cyprus, November 11, 2023. Photo by Antonia Maria Nicolaides.People visit Luke Jerram’s ‘Museum of the Moon’ in the Zouhouris square in Larnaca, Cyprus, on November 13, 2023. Photo by George Christophorou.Akel Secretary General Stefanos Stefanou speaking during a conference which solidified statutory changes in the left-wing party, in Nicosia, Cyprus, November 26, 2023. Photo by Philippos Christou.Survivors of the October 7 Hamas attack on a music festival in Israel attend art therapy lessons at the Secret Forest wellness retreat in Miliou, Cyprus November 27, 2023. Photo by Reuters/Yiannis Kourtoglou.A bus caught fire while carrying pupils to school in Nicosia, Cyprus, December 01, 2023. Photo by George Christophorou.Netherlands’ Prime Minister Mark Rutte, Sweden’s Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, Latvia’s Prime Minister Evika Silina, France’s President Emmanuel Macron, Cyprus’ President Nikos Christodoulides, Zeljko Komsic, Chairman of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s tripartite Presidency attend a European Union and Western Balkans leaders’ summit, in Brussels, Belgium December 13, 2023. Photo by Reuters/Johanna Geron.Aris Limassol fans in the stands before a match between Aris and Sparta Prague for the group stages of the Europa League, December 14, 2023, Limassol, Cyprus. Photo by Reuters/Yiannis Kourtoglou.A man dressed as Santa Claus is seen riding a motorcycle in Nicosia, Cyprus, December 16, 2023. Photo by George Christophorou.
