Alaminos massacre

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Alaminos massacre
Part of atrocities against Turkish Cypriots during the Turkish invasion of Cyprus
LocationAlaminos, Larnaca, Cyprus
Date20 July 1974
Victims13 or 14 or 15 Turkish men
PerpetratorsCypriot Greeks, mainland Greeks
MotiveAnti-Turkish sentiment, Islamophobia, Greek nationalism, Hellenization

Alaminos massacre (Turkish: Aleminyo katliamı) was a massacre of 13 or 15 Cypriot Turkish civilians in the village of Alaminos which happened on 20 July 1974.[1] A year later the survivors of the massacre fled to Kythrea.[2]

The massacre

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The massacre, which lasted half an hour, was committed by the 395th division of EOKA-B and Greek Cypriote National Guard[3] in the mixed village of Alaminos,[2] as a result of the 1974 Turkish invasion of the island. It was directed against the Turkish Cypriot men who were defending the village.[2] When the Turkish Cypriots were defeated, Greeks took hostage Turkish women, children and elderly in the local Greek school,[4] while the men, due to their refusal to surrender, were lined up against a wall and executed by shooting.[3][5] Total of 13[1] or 14[6] or 15[4][7] men, between the ages of 25 and 53 were killed and buried by a bulldozer[8] in a mass grave.[9]

According to Ahmed Ibrahim, a native of Alaminos: “A group of six Greeks with automatic weapons came up behind the men. They were no more than 20 feet away. They shot 14 of them in the back. I could hear it from my house.”[5]

An investigation was launched in 2012 by the Greek side and the investigating process is still ongoing. According to the investigation two soldiers were the main perpetrators of the massacre; one of them was codenamed Psia Psias from the nearby Kazoto village.[3]

One of the victims was Kudret Özersoy's father. He commented: "our goal is not to create hatred out of what has happened in the past but to take lessons from (past) mistakes to ensure that everybody sees the truth."[10]

Victims

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13 of the victims were identified by their DNA, while two men are still missing. The identified victims were buried in the Lefkoşa Cemetery in a military style. Their names are: Tahir Osman Kaptanoğlu, Hasan Ali Kandıralı, Ali Hasan Cenk, Güney Hüseyin Alaminyolu, Zafer Hasan İmamoğlu, Osman Mehmet Reis, Mehmet Ali Bodo, Ali Ali Bodo, Hüseyin Dildar Özersay, Hasan Dildar Özersay, Ahmet Halil Alkım, Mustafa Ali Taşbel, Ömer Ali Taşbel.[4]

Legacy

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Every year the 15 victims of the massacre and another 5 victims, who were massacred in 1967 in Alaminos by Greek Cypriots, are remembered in Kythrea.[11][12][13][14][15]

References

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  1. ^ a b Security Council, United Nations. (1988). Official Records: Proces-verbaux Officiels. p. 82.
  2. ^ a b c "Restoration of Alaminos mosque complete". cyprus-mail.com. 2025-03-11. Retrieved 2025-04-01.
  3. ^ a b c "Greek Cypriot investigation admits war crimes committed against Turkish Cypriots in 1974". 2019-11-28. Retrieved 2025-02-22.
  4. ^ a b c Emek, Faruk Akın (2014). 1958-1974 yılları arasında Kıbrıs'ta Yerel Basında Rum Mezalimi [Greek Atrocities in Local Cypriot Press during the period of 1958-1974] (PDF) (in Turkish). pp. 74–75.
  5. ^ a b "A Mass Killing in Cyprus: Two Versions of Its Cause". The New York Times. 1974.
  6. ^ "OPINION - Lies, damn lies, and the Netflix series Famagusta". www.aa.com.tr. Retrieved 2025-04-01.
  7. ^ "Alaminyo Şehitleri anıldı" [Martyrs of Alaminyo were remembered] (in Turkish). 2022-07-25. Retrieved 2025-04-01.
  8. ^ Question of the violation of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms in any part of the world, with particular reference to Colonial and other Dependent Countries and territories (PDF) (Report).
  9. ^ "St. Petersburg Times". Massacre of Turks alleged. St. Petersburg Times. 29 July 1974.
  10. ^ "Alaminyo katliamı..." [Alaminos massacre]. KIBRIS POSTASI (in Turkish). Retrieved 2025-04-01.
  11. ^ "Aleminyo Köyü şehitleri anıldı..." [Martyrs of the Alaminos village were remembered]. Kıbrıs net haber (in Turkish). Retrieved 2025-04-01.
  12. ^ "Alaminyo Şehitleri törenle anıldı" [Alaminos Martyrs were remembered in ceremony]. Gündem Kıbrıs Gazetesi - Kıbrıs Haber (in Turkish). Retrieved 2025-04-01.
  13. ^ "Alaminyo Şehitleri anıldı" [Alaminos Martyrs were remembered]. Haber Kıbrıs. 2023-07-21. Retrieved 2025-04-01.
  14. ^ KTBB. "Alaminyo Şehitleri anıldı" [Alaminos Martyrs were remembered]. Kıbrıs Türk Belediyeler Birliği (in Turkish). Retrieved 2025-04-01.
  15. ^ "Alaminyo Şehitleri törenle anıldı" [Alaminos Martyrs were remembered with ceremony]. Haber Kıbrıs. 2019-07-22. Retrieved 2025-04-01.