The tragic mother from Kato Deryneia, Chrystalla Kyriakou, waits to this day with unwavering patience and perseverance, experiencing the unbearable pain of uncertainty every day.
According to a post by the Mayor of Paralimni-Derynia, Giorgos Nikolettos, for 52 years she has been trying to find out the fate of her three children — her five-year-old son and her three-year-old twin daughters — who are still missing after being abducted by Turkish soldiers in August 1974.
On August 17, 1974, after the Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation announced that it was safe to return, Chrystalla Kyriakou, her children, her twelve-year-old brother and eleven other people returned to their home. They were stopped by Turkish and Turkish Cypriot soldiers in the Pervolia of Pertzienas. There were hundreds of civilians there.
Initially they were allowed to continue. However, two days later, on August 19, the soldiers returned and took away everyone except Chrystalla and two young girls. When they returned, a Turkish Cypriot soldier took her outside and said to her:
"Run. Run for your life."
Chrystalla tried desperately to keep her children close to her. A soldier hit her and grabbed them. Her mother-in-law reassured her that the children would be safe with her.
Her twelve-year-old brother, Alkis — the only one who managed to escape — later testified about what he saw and heard. He said he heard gunshots behind him as he ran for his life. According to his testimony, they were led to the fields of the Agios Memnon area, near sycamore trees and a water tank.
On February 21, 2011, Chrystalla Kyriakou and her brother visited the area with officers from the Committee on Missing Persons in Cyprus. Although they were not allowed entry due to the military zone, they gave testimony and provided a plan of the possible burial site.
In recent years, initiatives have been taken to investigate the case and carry out excavations in the area between Agios Memnon and Kato Deryneia, where the existence of a mass grave is suspected. Requests have been submitted to the competent authorities, with the aim of finding the remains and providing answers to the families of the missing.
Chrystalla Kyriakou's story is not just a personal tragedy. It is an open wound of our homeland. It is a reminder that the missing are not numbers — they are children, parents, families.
For Chrystalla, the war never ended.
Waiting for it is our collective responsibility.
Her pain is our shared memory.
And as long as even one parent waits, our debt remains unfulfilled.
At the same time, the Municipality of Paralimni-Dheryne has undertaken specific initiatives to advance the case. In collaboration with the competent state agencies, official requests have been submitted for investigation and excavations in the area between Agios Memnon and Kato Deryneia, where, based on testimonies, the existence of a mass grave is suspected. The aim of these actions is to locate the remains and provide answers to the families of the missing, so that they can finally be given the basic human dignity they are due.
