State funeral to take place in the occupied area of Cyprus for Rauf Denktas death; the breakaway regime and Turkey declared official mourning
According to illegal Bayrak television (online, 14.01.12), the breakaway regime and the entire Turkish nation are mourning the loss of the former Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Raif Denktas, who passed away in the age of 88 years old at 10pm [Friday evening] at the illegal Near East University Hospital where he was receiving treatment the latest days.
A week of official mourning has been declared by the council of ministers until Friday, the 20th of January. An official mourning has been declared in Turkey as well.
The former Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Raif Denktas will be laid to rest on Tuesday, the 17th of January with a state funeral.
All flags have been lowered to half-mast until Friday the 20th of January. All state and government offices, schools and other workplaces for the exception of essential services will be closed on Tuesday, the day of the funeral.
Speaking on the details of the funeral, the Turkish Cypriot leader Dervis Eroglu said that following an extraordinary meeting of the council of ministers attended by Rauf Denktas son – the leader of the Democratic Party Serdar Denktas – and himself, it has been decided that a series of ceremonies will be held for the funeral in line with state protocol for funerals.
The first ceremony will be held at 9:45am at the Near East University hospital where Rauf Denktas passed away.
The late Turkish Cypriot leader will then be taken to the so-called presidential palace where bureaucrats and government officials will be allowed to pay their last respects at a second ceremony.
A 24 hour watch will be kept by the late leader until 9:00am the next day.
On Tuesday, the late Turkish Cypriot leader will be carried to the Selimiye Mosque on a gun carriage for noon prayers.
The public will be able to pay their last respects during the funeral procession to the mosque.
Following noon prayers, the casket will then once again be carried out of the Selimiye Mosque and placed on the gun carriage drawn by a military vehicle.
A funeral parade will then convey the coffin from the Mosque to occupied Keryneia Gate where it placed onto a hearse and taken to the place of burial, which has been decided by Denktas family.
His body will be brought to the so-called assembly on Monday, where it will be kept in-state under a 24 hours watch until the funeral.
State bureaucrats and government officials will be paying their last respects to the late Turkish Cypriot leader. More dignitaries from Turkey and other parts of the world are also expected to attend the funeral.
Meanwhile, prayers are being read for the late Turkish Cypriot leader at mosques across the occupation regime.
Rauf Denktas will be buried in a park that symbolizes TMT and the declaration of the breakaway regimeTurkish Cypriot daily Kibris (16.01.12) reports that the late Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktas, who died last Friday, will be buried in Cumhuriyet Parki [Republics Park] in the occupied part of Lefkosia. This was decided yesterday by Denktas family and the self-styled council of ministers. Rauf Denktas grave will be located opposite Burhan Nalbantoglu hospital in the occupied part of Lefkosia and 150 meters south of the TMT Monument.
The self-styled prime minister Irsen Kucuk, some ministers, the so-called mayor of occupied Lefkosia Cemal Bulutoglulari and Rauf Denktas son Serdar visited yesterday the park and held on the spot examinations.
Afterwards, Irsen Kucuk told the press that they took into consideration the wish of Denktas family and added that they will immediately start to work for making the necessary arrangements for the funeral in the Republics Park, which represents the history of the national struggle, the TMT and the republic.
The self-styled minister of public works and transport, Ersan Saner said that they will build a monument there suitable for the TRNC state, for Denktas name and for the history of their struggle. He noted that the works for the monument will begin right after the funeral.
In his statements, Serdar Denktas said that the Republics Park, which represents TMT and the republic, will also be the symbol of Denktas from now on.
