Thirty years ago today, on August 11, 1996, a 24-year-old Cypriot named Tasos Isaac was beaten to death inside the UN Bu...

Thirty years ago today, on August 11, 1996, a 24-year-old Cypriot named Tasos Isaac was beaten to death inside the UN Buffer Zone near Deryneia, south of Famagusta, by settlers and police from the Turkish-occupied north. He died 95 meters from the Greek Cypriot side and 32 meters from the Turkish Cypriot line, according to the UN's own report. The killing happened during an international motorcycle rally organized to protest Turkey's ongoing occupation of northern Cyprus. Around 200 riders from 12 European countries had ridden from Berlin to Cyprus to mark the 22nd anniversary of the Turkish invasion. After organizers canceled the protest leg inside Cyprus due to pressure, a group of riders broke off and pushed toward the occupied north, crossing into the UN-controlled Green Line through an unguarded military post. Waiting on the Attila Line were at least 1,000 Turkish Cypriots, including members of the Grey Wolves who had traveled from Turkey specifically for the event. At around 4 p.m., a group entered the buffer zone armed with clubs and iron bars and attacked the Greek Cypriot protesters. Isaac became trapped while trying to help a pursued friend and was beaten to death by both civilians and occupation police. Two Irish UN peacekeepers from UNFICYP tried and failed to pull him free. The wider clash left 54 Greek Cypriots, 17 Turkish Cypriots, and 12 UN personnel injured. Three days later at his funeral, Isaac's cousin Solomos Solomou, 26, tried to tear down a Turkish flag from a Green Line post. He was shot dead by fire coming from the occupied side. Isaac's wife was pregnant with their first child at the time of his murder. In 2008, the European Court of Human Rights found Turkey guilty of Isaac's killing under Article 2 of the European Convention on Human Rights and awarded compensation to his family. Five individuals, including a former MIT intelligence officer and the Grey Wolves leader in the occupied territories, were named in international arrest warrants. None has ever faced justice. #Cyprus #NeverForgotten #TurkishOccupation