The Christmas tree of the missing persons in Cyprus has been put up again in the yard of the old Nicosia Town Hall, with Presidential Commissioner, Photis Photiou, noting that it symbolizes the will to continue the struggle with a view to establish the fate of every single person.
Photiou also said that the tree also symbolizes the shame that world powers tolerate the occupation force, Turkey, which does not cooperate to settle the humanitarian issue of missing persons.
Photiou said that 46 years after the Turkish invasion of Cyprus we are still looking for more than 800 missing persons. He added that today is the Human Rights Day and if there is a country which does not respect human rights, it is Turkey, which does not respect the decisions of the UN, the European Council, the European Parliament as well as the European Court of Human Rights decisions as regards the missing persons.
The President of the missing persons relatives organizations, Nikos Sergides, stressed that they will continue their effort to restore the rights of missing persons and their families.
Despite the difficulties which the occupation army raises we will continue this effort, he added. Forty six years are too many but time and difficulties will not make us step back but we will continue until the fate of each missing person is established, he underlined.
Nicosia Mayor, Constantinos Yiorkatzis wished that this will be the last year that this humanitarian issue remains unsolved.
Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkish troops invaded and occupied 37% of its territory. Since then, the fate of hundreds of people remains unknown.
A Committee on Missing Persons has been established, upon agreement between the leaders of the two communities, with the scope of exhuming, identifying and returning the remains of missing persons to their relatives.
(CNA)
