11 & 14 August 1996: Tassos Isaac and Solomos Solomou.
Today 11 August 2018…
It is 22 years since the brutal assassination of Tassos Isaac during an anti-occupation demonstration in the area of the dead zone, in Deryneia, Famagusta.
The demonstration was organized as part of the march of the Cyprus Motorcyclists' Federation, starting in Berlin and ending in occupied Kyrenia. The route started on August 2 from the Brandenburg Gate and passed through many European countries - with the participation of foreign motorcyclists - ending in Cyprus on August 10.
It is estimated that 7.000 motorcyclists took part in the march, and despite Turkish threats and the official cancellation of the march by the federation after government intervention, a large number headed to the ceasefire line. Turkish soldiers, pseudo-police, protesters and members of the "Gray Wolves" organization were waiting there.
The motorcyclists moved in different directions and there were incidents in several areas. They started from SOPAZ, in Nicosia but were more intense in the area of Deryneia…
24-year-old Tassos Isaac was there with his friend and fellow villager Andreas Kakouris. At some point they separated. Tasos, in his attempt to help another of our compatriots, who was being beaten by the Turks, was attacked and fell to the ground. Then, they started beating him mercilessly with stones, crowbars, bats until he cooled down.
The lifeless body of the hero was transported to Paralimni Hospital, where the funeral took place three days later.
Shortly before Tasos calmed down…
The Gray Wolves were beating with iron bats and other protesters. They also beat Andreas Kakouris, who was also trapped in the Dead Zone. After the savage blows he received, many believed he was dead…
In the photo is Andreas Kakouri at the time he was beaten.
Mr. Andreas Kakouri reports to ant1ıwo:
"As much as I tried to forget, to overcome nightmares and phobias, I did not succeed…
I thank God that I had people by my side who supported me and helped me to be able to stand on my feet again, not to lose my sanity. I close my eyes and it 's like living them again, now, right now…
Tassos and I were friends and we went together that day. Unfortunately, at some point we broke up. I do not remember how it happened but I was trapped in the barbed wire and they were beating me at the same time as they were beating Tassos.
I was beaten everywhere, even in the head. When they realized that Tassos was dead, they stopped and left. I did not lose consciousness, I remember they took us to the hospital. But I did not realize that he was dead, I thought he fainted from the pain. I was then taken to Larnaca Hospital.
When I recovered from the shock, I asked to know how Tasos was and they told me he was dead. I remember it was 9 at night. I suffered, I cried a lot for my friend. I went through very difficult times, my life changed completely. I could not be happy about anything anymore…
I wish from the bottom of my heart that such an evil does not happen again in our place. The children of the world should never experience such situations again ".
August 14, the day of the funeral of Tassos Isaac…
A group of protesters headed to the scene of the murder, to lay wreaths and flowers in his memory. However, the scene turned into a battlefield, when a group of "Gray Wolves" appeared and started the stone war.
At 2:20 pm…
The 26-year-old Solomos Solomou escaped from the Blue Helmets and entered the dead zone. The other protesters, while trying to stop him, climbed the mast to lower the Turkish flag. Turkish snipers from the opposite Turkish outpost started firing. Solomos Solomou fell dead…
Other shootings followed, with 11 people slightly injured. The national guards took up a battle position and the body of the young man was removed from the area.
His funeral took place on August 16, 1996, in Paralimni, in the presence of a large crowd, who condemned the Turkish barbarism, as he had done three days earlier with the assassination of Tassos Isaac.
Source: ant1iwo.com