Diana Constantinide, an MP with the Famagusta for Direct Democracy movement, made an emotional personal revelation while speaking on Sigma TV’s Mesimeri Kai Kati, following a parliamentary discussion on femicide and its impact on victims’ families.
Referring to the House Human Rights Committee’s debate on the consequences of femicide, Constantinide said she herself had experienced the lasting trauma suffered by the loved ones left behind after a murder.
“I am one of those collateral victims,” she said.
“I lost my mother in 1993 in a murder case. I have lived and continue to live with the consequences of that loss, even though it was not a case of domestic violence. Having your mother taken away from you is not only a legal issue – it is deeply personal.”
She stressed that children who lose a parent to violence carry that burden throughout their lives.
Message of hope to women
Constantinide also spoke about the support she received from the men in her life after her mother’s death.
“In that murder in 1993, two men took my mother’s life. But two other men – my father and my husband – stood by me. They became my strength when I could no longer stand, my voice when I had lost mine.”
She urged women experiencing violence not to remain silent.
“Gather whatever strength you have left. And if you have none, create it. We women have the ability to create life. Create strength and speak out so that we can truly help.”
1993 double murder
Constantinide’s mother, Christine Constantinidou, was murdered in 1993 alongside Oxana Lisna.
According to the case, Antonis Prokopiou Kitas and his accomplice, Michalis Iakovides, killed the two women before disposing of their bodies in separate locations.
Christine Constantinidou was reported missing on 7 June 1993. Her body was discovered months later at the Kotsiatis landfill after the two suspects directed police to the location.
Oxana Lisna, who disappeared on 20 June 1993, was later found in a well in Livadia, also following information provided by the perpetrators.
During the investigation, Kitas initially attempted to mislead police by accusing another man of both murders. That individual was arrested and detained for several days before being released without charge.
The investigation took a decisive turn after Iakovides confessed and implicated Kitas in both killings.
Police used ten excavators over 17 days to recover Christine Konstantinidou’s body from beneath tonnes of rubbish at the Kotsiatis landfill.
Also read: Over 18,000 violence complaints against women between 2021 and 2026
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