August 14, 1996: 30 years since the sacrifice of Solomos Solomos in Dereniatranslated

Three days after the cowardly murder of Tasos Isaac, Turkish Cypriots murder his 26-year-old cousin, Solomos Solomou, in cold blood, while trying to lower the Turkish flag in Deryneia.

On August 14, 1996, the funeral of Tasos Isaac took place, who had been beaten to death by Turkish Cypriots three days earlier in the dead zone near Deryneia, during an anti-occupation demonstration by Cypriot motorcyclists. Immediately after the funeral, several of those present organized a demonstration and re-entered the dead zone from the same spot, to pay their respects to Isaac, laying wreaths and flowers at the site of his murder. Among the protesters was 26-year-old Solomos Solomou, Isaac's second cousin. He was a refugee from Famagusta and lived in Paralimni.

Around 2:20 p.m., Solomou broke away from the crowd and headed to a nearby Turkish outpost. With a cigarette in his mouth and ignoring the warnings of the Turkish soldiers, he began to climb the flagpole, intending to take down the Turkish flag. At the same time, three shots were fired from the side of the occupied...