An international protest by motorcyclists against Turkey’s continuing illegal occupation of northern Cyprus was stained with blood when settlers and police of the pseudo-state beat 24-year-old Tasos Isaak to death.
The incident occurred in the early afternoon of 11 August 1996 within the “Green Line” in the Deryneia area, south of Famagusta.
On 2 August 1996, around 200 motorcyclists from 12 European countries responded to the call of the Cyprus Motorcyclists’ Federation and organised a ride from Berlin (the last divided city in Europe, apart from Nicosia) to occupied Kyrenia, marking the 22nd anniversary of the Turkish invasion of the island. On 10 August, they arrived in Cyprus and joined local riders. However, due to international and domestic pressure, the Federation cancelled the Cyprus leg of the protest and held its main event at the Makarios Stadium on the morning of Sunday, 11 August.
A group of motorcyclists disagreed with the decision and decided to continue the ride towards the occupied areas. One of them was 24-year-old Tasos Isaak. Entering the UN buffer zone – the so-called “Green Line” – through an unguarded military post, they evaded Cypriot police attempts to stop them. At the same time, along the so-called “Attila Line”, at least 1,000 Turkish Cypriots had gathered, including many members of the “Grey Wolves” who had come from Turkey.
Once the Greek Cypriot demonstrators entered the buffer zone, tensions escalated. At 4 p.m., a group of Turkish Cypriots entered the buffer zone wielding clubs and iron bars, attacking the Greek Cypriot demonstrators. While trying to help a friend being chased, Tasos Isaak was trapped and beaten to death by civilians and pseudo-state police. Two Irish UN peacekeepers failed to pull him away from the furious attackers.
Tasos Isaak drew his last breath 95 metres from the Greek Cypriot side and 32 metres from the Turkish Cypriot side, according to the UN report. In total, 54 Greek Cypriots, 17 Turkish Cypriots, and 12 peacekeepers were injured in the mass brawl in the buffer zone.
His funeral was held on 14 August with mass attendance. A tragic figure was his wife, pregnant with their first child. After the funeral, his enraged cousin Solomos Solomou, aged 26, attempted to remove a Turkish flag from a post on the “Green Line” and was shot dead by fire from the occupied side.
On 22 November 1996, the Cyprus Police issued an international arrest warrant for the murder of Tasos Isaak against:
- Hasim Yilmaz, settler and former member of the Turkish intelligence service MIT
- Neifel Mustafa Ergun, settler from Turkey and pseudo-state policeman
- Polat Fikret Koreli, Turkish Cypriot from Famagusta
- Mehmet Mustafa Arslan, Turkish settler and head of the “Grey Wolves” in the occupied areas
- Erhan Arikli, Turkish settler from the former Soviet Union. Arikli was arrested in September 2012 in Kyrgyzstan but released following Turkish pressure.
On 28 April 1997, Greece’s Foreign Minister Theodoros Pangalos christened Tasos Isaak’s daughter Anastasia in Paralimni in an emotional ceremony. Singer Haris Alexiou dedicated to her “To tragoudi tou helidoniou”, written especially for the occasion.
On 24 June 2008, the European Court of Human Rights found Turkey guilty of the murder of Tasos Isaak under Article 2 of the European Convention on Human Rights and awarded financial compensation to his family.
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Source: sansimera.gr
