Afrika criticizes Turkish Cypriot parties for not condemning Isaak and Solomou murders in August 1996
Under the title “Solomou, Isaak and our silent peace supporters”, Turkish Cypriot daily Afrika newspaper (08.08.12) reports the following in its “Letter from Afrika” column:
“You may have realized it as well. During the days that are regarded as our ‘national days’, only our parties and organizations which are known as nationalist issue announcements. Nothing is said by the left wing circles on 20 July, on 1 August, on 15 November. The nationalists send a lot of announcements to the media. The others keep quiet. Why? Do they have absolutely nothing to say on such days? Is it not on these days that they should actually talk? While the others issue nationalistic announcements, could they not tell the realities to the people?
The Greek Cypriot side has commemorated Solomou and Isaak for three days. It carried out demonstrations in Deryneia. It organized marches. Who is Solomou? The Greek Cypriot, who was shot and killed in 1996 while climbing on the mast to bring down the Turkish flag in Deryneia. This incident was broadcast then on all the televisions of the world and influenced everybody very much. Who is Tassos Isaak? A Greek Cypriot young person, who was lynched and his head was crushed with iron sticks by nationalist [grey wolves] groups in Deryneia again at the same time. You can see it closely in those huge pictures at the Greek Cypriot barricade at Ledra Palace. A group of raving Turkish murderers, who trampled Isaak, exhibited one of the most evident examples of barbarity there. They killed Isaak by beating him up. That day Rauf Denktas was also going around there holding his photo machine. Those, who were dealing these deadly blows on Isaak’s head that day, did not think what kind of seeds of hatred and disunion they sowed between the two communities. The Greek Cypriots reply mostly with these pictures to the question ‘what does Turk mean’: A complete savagery!
You have nothing to say huh. No one in our community came up to condemn this brutality which happened 16 years ago in Deryneia. No one here referred to the hatred caused by these murders, no one shared the pain of the Greek Cypriot community. In any case, it is in vain to expect this from those who were infected by the syndrome of ‘we said yes and they said no’. Those who have declared themselves as supporters of the solution and the Greek Cypriot side as supporter of the non-solution did not apologize yet even for these dreadful crimes. They did not express regret.
As newspaper we sincerely share the pain of the families of Solomou and Isaak, whose murderers have not been punished yet as they deserve. These are the latest barbaric murders in our recent past. Those, who complain that the Greek Cypriot nationalism escalates in the south, should look at their own situation as well”.
