The search for Cyprus’s missing persons remains one of the highest priorities for President Nikos Christodoulides, said Anna Aristotelous, Head of the Humanitarian Affairs Service for Missing and Enclaved Persons, on Sunday.
Speaking at an event organised by the philanthropic organisation Alkyonides, during the first screening of the documentary Where Are They? by Greek journalist Nikos Aslanidis, Aristotelous emphasised the issue as both a humanitarian obligation and a national priority.
“This is a human commitment and sacred duty,” she said. “In this context, we have already undertaken specific initiatives and are achieving significant and decisive results through the Republic of Cyprus’s official programme.”
She noted that the state continues to press strongly and decisively in every direction, calling for the removal of obstacles, access to Turkish military archives, and the right to conduct searches, excavations and exhumations in all areas where testimony or evidence suggests burial sites may exist.
“The issue of missing persons is, above all, a humanitarian one,” she stressed. “Every family has a sacred right to know.”
Aristotelous also underscored the Republic’s ongoing support for the families of the missing, noting that the state stands by them not only institutionally but practically- through social support programmes, psychological assistance, and active involvement in the search process.
Background and statistics
Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkish forces invaded and occupied 37% of the island. Since then, hundreds of people remain missing, with efforts continuing to locate and identify them.
The Committee on Missing Persons (CMP) was established by agreement between the leaders of the island’s two communities. Its mission is to locate, exhume, identify and return the remains of 1,510 Greek Cypriots and 492 Turkish Cypriots who went missing during the intercommunal violence of 1963–64 and the events of 1974.
According to the CMP, as of 28 February 2025:
- A total of 2,002 people were listed as missing
- 1,704 individuals have been exhumed
- 1,052 have been identified and returned to their families
Among the Greek Cypriots:
- 756 have been identified
- 754 remain missing
Among the Turkish Cypriots:
- 296 have been identified
- 196 remain missing
Also read: 1,700 exhumations by Committee on Missing Persons since 2006
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