When horror takes on a human face, the magnitude of the tragedy becomes even more painful. Fifty-two years later, historical researcher Odysseas Christou brings to light the evidence of one of the greatest crimes of the Turkish invasion: the massacre in Pervolia, Perziena, in Kato Deryneia.
 
MARIA KYRILLOU: “We were awakened
by the bombings around 5 a.m. I had two babies; my husband was in the army—where were we supposed to go? To the orchards of Perziena—we stayed there all day, listening to the tanks passing by in the distance.”
 
Dozens of Famagustians fell victim to the chaos of those days; on August 17, swept up by spreading rumors, they set out on the road back home. They were unaware that the invaders had advanced further south during the ceasefire. A total of twenty-one civilians were taken to fields and executed. Some managed to escape. The rest were taken as prisoners to Adana.

The return to Famagusta turned out to be one of the deadliest traps of the Turkish invasion. Among the dozens of innocent victims were seven young children, aged 3 to 14.

The documents chronicling this horror capture the terror they experienced. In the foreground is the commercial van belonging to the ARIZONA dry cleaner in Famagusta. In the background, at least seven vehicles violently immobilized on both sides of the road can be seen. Objects are scattered across the road, along with a layer of lime.

ODYSSEAS CHRISTOU—Historical Researcher “Photographs
taken by Turkish journalists. At the intersection leading to Agios Memnonas. Photographs along the road show vehicles that have been forcibly immobilized and looted, traveling to and from Famagusta.”
 
Another photographic piece of evidence shows 10 small vehicles on both sides of the road, some with their doors and trunks open. Traces of blood are visible on the right rear tire of a taxi, while a baby stroller can be seen in the background.
 
ODYSSEAS CHRISTOU—Historical Researcher: “At
the spot where the cluster of eucalyptus trees stands between the apartment building and the roadblock, they suddenly found themselves face-to-face with Turks. There are accounts that groups were gathering and gunshots could be heard.”

Among the eyewitnesses to the deadly ambush were the owners of the “Arizona.” Their pickup truck became a symbol of the massacre. The couple saw the tank’s cannon aimed at them and firing in their direction. They escaped certain death by pretending to be dead.
 
MARIA KYRILLOU: “My father-in-law
and mother-in-law went to get something for the babies; they assumed there was no danger. They went to the house; indeed, they didn’t see anything happening in Agia Zoni, so they grabbed some food and set out to find us. On the way, they came face-to-face with the tanks; to avoid them, they turned into a side street. They thought they’d gotten away, and that’s when the tank fired at them.”
 
SAVAS KYRILLOU—Owner of ARIZONA: “The bullet passed
under my father’s feet, and one of the fragments struck him in the chest. He told my mother, ‘They’ve got us, woman; crouch down so we can play dead.’ And they ran toward the orchards where the rest of the family was.”
The misleading announcement broadcast by RIK radio remains a
topic of discussion to this day.
 
SAVAS KYRILLOU—Owner of ARIZONA: “It was
a huge blunder. As they announced on the radio, anyone who wanted to return to Famagusta could do so.”

ODYSSEAS CHRISTOU—Historical
researcher “How residents ended up in a danger zone. A notice issued on the morning of August 17 instructed court employees in Famagusta to go to the courthouses. “The truth is that this announcement was never actually issued.”

The documentary photographs that Odysseas Christou unearthed from Turkish archives reveal something else as well: the advance of Turkish troops by approximately 300 meters following the ceasefire agreement of August 16, 1974, in Kato Deryneia. This photograph was taken from Turkish positions and shows the makeshift roadblock set up by Turkish gunmen on the Deryneia–Famagusta road after August 17. Their weapons are pointed toward Deryneia and the positions of the town’s few defenders.
 
ODYSSEAS CHRISTOU—Historical Researcher: “They
erected a makeshift roadblock using cement and barrels from a construction site. On October 25, the Turks advanced considerably, moving their roadblock about a thousand yards to its current position.”
 
In front of them, still untouched by Attila’s boots, the Trikomitis car dealership building and the adjacent two-story building—which today stands at the checkpoint of the occupying authorities—can be seen. In the distance, the buildings surrounding the Deryneia roadblock.
 
The rescue of Deryneia and the rest of free Famagusta is owed to a handful of conscripts and reservists who, during the retreat, took up positions on the high ground, in the area of today’s roadblock, the last line of defense.

ODYSSEAS CHRISTOU—Historical Researcher
“The Turks advanced from the ‘Two-and-a-Half Miles’ area; they did not come from the heart of Famagusta, but rather flanked the area and encircled it on August 17. Right where we are now, a unit under Captain Katsios tried to set up some defenses. They essentially saved free Famagusta. “They advanced until they encountered resistance.”

In another photograph, Turkish soldiers can be seen on the roof of the Kato Deryneia elementary school, surveying the area.

See Christoforos Nestoros’s report:

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