On Wednesday morning, the President of the Republic, Nikos Christodoulides, on the occasion of the 52nd anniversary of the treacherous coup d’état of July 15, 1974.

The event took place at the Memorial site, in the presence of state, political, and military leaders; representatives of political parties and resistance groups and organizations; the Greek Ambassador Konstantinos Kollia, as well as relatives of the resistance fighters, whose representatives also laid wreaths.

A memorial service was conducted by Bishop Christoforos of Karpasia, while runners from the “Pericles Dimitriou” Association arrived at the site, carrying a torch in memory of the fallen. 

The President of the Committee for the Registry of Resistance Fighters, Alexis Charalambous, stated that they were honoring the memory of Archbishop Makarios and 67 heroes of the Resistance, who sacrificed themselves defending freedom and democracy before, during and after the treacherous coup. All of them, he said, were murdered—some even in cold blood—by EOKA B and the junta coup plotters.

“We honor their memory and bow before the greatness of their sacrifice. Their sacrifice demands one thing: that we hand down to our children a homeland that is free, intact, and independent, like all European and democratic states. Without compromises or caveats,” he said. “We hope to prove ourselves worthy of their heroic sacrifice,” he added.

Source: CNA