On Tuesday, Presidential Commissioner Marios Hartsoti announced the promotion of the necessary legislation to provide coverage and institutional care for the parents and spouses of missing persons, during a session of the Parliamentary Committee on Refugees, noting that the issue is nearing an immediate resolution.
In remarks made after the Committee meeting, during which developments regarding the issue of missing persons were discussed, among other topics, Mr. Hartsotis stated that with the relevant legislation passed in June 2026, the financial criteria for the provision of in-home care were abolished, so that all parents and spouses of missing persons can benefit.
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She also added that the relevant legislation still contains “a small loophole” regarding institutional care, which, he said, has already been brought to the Commission’s attention and is in the process of being resolved.
The Commissioner noted that just yesterday he had a meeting with the relevant organization of relatives of missing persons, during which this specific issue was discussed.
“If necessary, the required amendment will be pushed through immediately to include institutional care for the parents and spouses of the missing persons,” he stated.
Mr. Hartsotis also addressed the issue of care for women and men who suffered abuse during the tragic events of 1974, noting that the government is demonstrating the necessary discretion and sensitivity.
As he said, the Director General of the Deputy Ministry of Social Welfare briefed the Committee on specific measures already being taken by the Deputy Ministry and the State to resolve this issue as well.
“It was correctly noted that similar care must also be provided to other vulnerable groups, such as abused women, prisoners, and the injured,” the Commissioner stated, adding that he is committed to advancing these requests as well “as quickly as possible.”
Mr. Hartsotis also noted that these are long-standing issues and that the government is taking steps to address them, while pointing out that the financial cost must also be considered for the other vulnerable groups.
As he noted, the cost is not such that it negates the need to provide care for these vulnerable groups, who, as he said, have contributed greatly to the country. “The least the government can do is finally give them, after 52 whole years, what is self-evident,” he said.
The Commissioner also provided an update on the registry of trapped and resettled persons, which, he said, includes approximately 700 individuals.
At the same time, referring to the children of the missing persons, he noted that, following a recommendation by the President of the Republic, an initial registry has been compiled. As he stated, it is estimated that approximately 1,700 people are alive today.
Mr. Hartsotis explained that the goal is to compile the registry to determine the exact number of beneficiaries and, subsequently, to estimate the costs associated with the relevant claims. He added that there will then be discussions and consultations to determine the benefits to be provided to the children of the missing persons.
“We are moving forward with determination on these very sensitive and delicate issues so that we can resolve them in the best possible way,” he concluded.
Subsequently, the Committee Chair and AKEL Member of Parliament Nikos Kettiros described this development as positive, noting that the Committee had received assurances from the Presidential Commissioner that progress had already been made on the issue of institutional care for the parents and spouses of missing persons.
Mr. Kettiros said, however, that the issue of including other groups that suffered the consequences of the events of 1974—including prisoners, victims, people with disabilities, and women and men who were abused.
“Beyond the studies that we recognize must be conducted to determine the amount needed to fund such an effort, a policy decision must be made as soon as possible to ensure that these people, who gave their lives and souls for this country, are provided with home-based and institutional care,” he said.
Mr. Kettiros also noted that the restrictions currently in place regarding income and deposits—specifically, the €20,000 deposit limit and the €23,000 income limit— should be lifted for this specific group of people.
In the same vein, DISY MP Giorgos Lysandridis commended the “responsiveness” shown, as he put it, by the Deputy Ministry of Social Welfare and the Presidential Commissioner, noting the need for an exemption from the income criteria so that those who choose institutional care may also receive the corresponding allowance.
Mr. Lysandridis also expressed the view that support should be extended to other categories of war victims and wounded veterans who, as he said, have not received equivalent treatment to date.
Furthermore, DIKO MP Adamos Aspris also highlighted the need to move forward with the regulation regarding institutional care for the parents and spouses of missing persons, describing it as “a moral obligation for all of us, both as a society and as a state.”
For her part, Alma MP Litsa Drousioti said that the same approach that applies to home care should also apply to people who, due to age or circumstances, require institutional care.
“Fifty-two years later, these people should not still have to fight for what should be a given,” he said, adding that the government should immediately provide solutions to the relatives of the missing and, more broadly, to the victims of 1974.
Source: CNA
