Solomos Solomou

Solomos Solomou (Greek: Σολωμός Σολωμού) (1970 - 14 August 1996), was a Greek Cypriot refugee who died after being shot five times [cite web| url=http://cmiskp.echr.coe.int/tkp197/view.asp?item=4&portal=hbkm&action=html&highlight=Solomou%20%7C%20Vs%20%7C%20Turkey&sessionid=9785415&skin=hudoc-en| title=ECHR Judgment on case Solomou Vs Turkey] , while trying to climb the pole in order to remove a Turkish flag from its mast, [http://www.hri.org/Cyprus/Cyprus_Problem/bikers/murder_2.html HRI Report with video of the killing] ] in the aftermath of the funeral of his cousin Tassos Isaac, who was also killed by Grey Wolves [cite web| url=http://www.hri.org/news/cyprus/kygtpen/1996/96-11-22.kygtpen.html| title=Arrest warrant against Mehmet Mustafa Arslan, the leader of Grey Wolves in Northern Cyprus] a few days earlier.

Early life

Solomos Solomou was originally from the town of Famagusta, which, in 1974, fell under the control of the Turkish military. Just like thousands of other Cypriots, Solomos Solomou and his family became refugees and moved to the nearby town of Paralimni. Solomou therefore grew up in Paralimni.

Death during 1996 demonstrations

Following the funeral of Tassos Isaac who was beaten to death by a Turkish mob in the UN buffer zone three days earlier, a group of unarmed Greek Cypriots re-entered the area where Isaac was murdered in order to demonstrate against his unlawful killing.

Among these demonstrators was Solomou who was a second cousin of Isaac. [cite web| url=http://www.kypros.org/Embassy/sept96.html | title=Embassy of Cyprus to the US Report] . At around 2:20 pm, Solomou distanced himself from the rest of the demonstrators and walked towards a Turkish military post in Dheryneia. With a cigarette in his mouth, Solomou climbed the flag pole with the intention of removing the Turkish flag but was shot by Turkish snipers three times; in the mouth, in the neck and in the stomach. The whole scene was taped by bystanding journalists and was seen on live television. Solomou's funeral was held on the 16th of August in Paralimni, among thousands of people and an official Cypriot day of mourning.

A few days after the killings of Isaac and Solomou, the then Prime Minister of Greece, Costas Simitis came to Cyprus and together with the then President of Cyprus, Glafcos Clerides visited the homes of the families of the two cousins.

On her part, the then Turkish Foreign Minister, Tansu Ciller who also visited Cyprus (the occupied north) a few days after Isaac and Solomou were killed, addressed a rally saying that Turks would "break the hands" of anyone who insulted their flag.

Identification of perpetrators

According to Cypriot Police, Solomou's killers were identified using photographic evidence as Kenan Akin and Erdal Haciali Emanet, members of the unrecognised TRNC administration (the first Minister of Agriculture and Natural Resources and the second Chief of Special Forces). Warrants were issued for their arrest by the Cypriot government, along with three other people, Attila Sav, Chief of Police of TRNC, Hasan Kundakci, Lt. Gen. of the TRNC military and Mehmet Karli, Maj. Gen. of the Turkish Army. [cite web| url=http://www.kypros.org/Embassy/nov96.html| title=Arrest Warrants Issued in Murder of Solomou, Cyprus US Embassy Newsletter] [http://www.hri.org/news/greek/ant1en/1996/96-09-11.ant1en.html Antenna] "News in English, of 11/09/1996, Cyprus" Retrieved on 2007-01-31.] . In October 2004, Kenan Akin, wanted by Interpol for the murder of Solomou, admitted he had pulled the trigger, however he accused the former Turkish Military Commander Halil Sadrazam as the person who gave the order. Sadrazam denied the accusation. [cite web| url=http://www.hri.org/news/cyprus/tcpr/2004/04-10-15.tcpr.html#02 | title=Former occupation regime so-called Minister and a Peace and Democracy Movement so-called MP accuse each other for the murder of Solomos Solomou] . Akin was later arrested in Istanbul not for shooting Solomou but for smuggling. He was however released from the Turkish authorities despite being wanted for murder by Interpol, prompting a question on Turkey's judicial cooperation from the Greek MP Dimitrios Papadimoulis in the European Parliament. [cite web| url=http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=QT&reference=H-2004-0370&language=EN | title=Execution of arrest warrant for Kenan Akin, the murderer of the Cypriot Solomos Solomou] .

Aftermath

The photo of Solomou climbing the Turkish flagpole has often been used as symbol of protest against Turkey's presence in Cyprus. Solomou's courage has been praised by a number of Greek politicians, with several prominent Greek composers and singers dedicating their songs to him. Dionysis Savvopoulos dedicated "Odi sto Georgio Karaiskaki", Dimitris Mitropanos/Thanos Mikroutsikos dedicated "Panta gelastoi" and Stelios Rokkos dedicated "Gia to Solomo Solomou". Two sources also cited the Turkish singer-composer Zülfü Livaneli as having sung in an on-the-spot concert in Solomou's memory (particularly his famous song "Yiğidim aslanım burda yatıyor"), but the singer denied it in all civility, stating "he was yet to go to Dheryneia". [cite web| url=http://www2.vatanim.com.tr/root.vatan?exec=yazardetay&sid=&Newsid=80841&Categoryid=4&wid=5 |title=Zülfü Livaneli's article on the allegations (tr)]

He is considered a national hero in Greece [cite web| url=http://www.seetha.gr/seetha/item.asp?ReportID=148 |title=Greek Army Staff Officers Union calls Isaac and Solomou ήρωες (=heroes) (Gr) ] [cite web| url=http://ta-nea.dolnet.gr/print_article.php?e=A&f=18314&m=N03&aa=2 | title=Greek newspaper Ta Nea refers to Solomou as ήρωας (=hero) (Gr)] and Cyprus, where he's often referred to as "hero-martyr" (Greek:ηρωομάρτυρας). [cite web| url=http://www.simerini.com/nqcontent.cfm?a_id=155203 | title=Cypriot newspaper refers to Solomou (and Isaac) as ηρωομάρτυρες (="heroes-martyrs") (Gr)] [cite web| url=http://www.cyprus.gov.cy/moa/Agriculture.nsf/All/817D6FCCA7441B43C22571C0003D46AF?OpenDocument| title=Cyprus Minister calls Isaac and Solomou ηρωομάρτυρες (="heroes-martyrs") (Gr)] [cite web| url=http://www.hri.org/cgi-bin/brief?/news/cyprus/kypegr/1996/96-08-16_1.kypegr.html#03
title=Cyprus News Agency refers to Solomou as ηρωομάρτυρα ("hero-martyr") (Gr)]

On June 24, 2008 the European Court of Human Rights decided in favour of Solomou in the case of "Solomou and others v. Turkey", awarding 12,000 € to the family of the deceased [cite web| url=http://cmiskp.echr.coe.int/tkp197/view.asp?item=4&portal=hbkm&action=html&highlight=Solomou%20%7C%20Vs%20%7C%20Turkey&sessionid=9785415&skin=hudoc-en| title=ECHR Judgment on case Solomou Vs Turkey] .

Notes and references

External links

* [http://www.cnn.com/WORLD/9608/15/cyprus/index.html CNN report]
* [http://www.hri.org/Cyprus/Cyprus_Problem/bikers/murder_2.html HRI Report with video of the killing]
* [http://www.niata.net/murders/5.html Photos clearly depicting Kenan Akin firing at Solomou]
* [http://www.un.org/News/briefings/docs/1996/19960816.cyprus.16a.html United Nations] Press Briefing