Motorcyclists to tour Greece to mark 30 years since Isaac, Solomou deaths

Motorcyclists are set to tour Greece to mark the 30th anniversary of the deaths of Tasos Isaac and Solomos Solomou, who were killed during two separate demonstrations in the buffer zone near Dherynia during August 1996. Isaac-Solomou memorial initiative spokesman Alekos Michaelides told the Cyprus News Agency on Tuesday that “the established motorcyclist procession in memory of the two heroes will take place with symbolic stops in Greece”. He added that “only 40 motorcyclists” will take part in this year’s tour, for safety reasons. “On July 7, the motorcyclists will depart by boat from Limassol for Piraeus, and then descend towards the Peloponnese,” he said. He explained that “symbolic stops” will be made in the village of Karavas, on the island of Kythera, in the village of Keryneia, which is located in the Achaea regional unit, and on the island of Salamis, just off the coast of Piraeus, as “they are names which remind us of our own occupied areas”, namely the Kyrenia district village of Karavas, Kyrenia itself, and ancient Salamis. “Afterwards, the motorcyclists will depart from Piraeus for Rhodes and Kastellorizo. The tour will end in Athens before departing for Cyprus on July 17. It will be a ten-day event full of activities, and there will be naming ceremonies for streets named after Isaac and Solomou in some parts of Greece to pass on the memory of the two heroes 30 years later,” he said. Asked why the motorcyclists plan to travel to both Rhodes and Kastellorizo, with the latter island being Greece’s easternmost outpost in the Mediterranean sea, he said that “Kastellorizo symbolises those manning the frontiers”, and that the island “is in a very difficult area, like Cyprus”. “In this way, we wanted to connect the two islands,” he said. He added that Rhodes “has a great history with Cyprus, a centuries-old connection, and we chose to go only to these two islands, to interact with their residents, to talk, to hold various events, to refer again to the memory of the two heroes and the need for justice for their murderers”. On the time the motorcyclists will spend in Athens, he said an “effort will be made” to arrange a meeting with Greek President Constantine Tassoulas, “to remind him that arrest warrants for [the deaths of] Tasos Isaac and Solomos Solomou remain unexecuted”. He was also asked about arrest warrants which were put out in the names of those suspected by the Republic of Cyprus of involvement in both men’s deaths, and said that “one of them, who was the leader of the Turkish army in Cyprus, has passed away, and ten remain”. “One wanted person, Erhan Arikli, is the leader of a political party in the occupied territories. He served as a minister in two pseudo-governments, but he still remains uncaptured,” he said. Then asked about whether Greek and Cypriot members of the European Parliament have been asked to provide assistance regarding arrest warrants for those suspected of involvement in both men’s deaths, he said that while assistance has been promised, “we have not seen anything yet”. Isaac was killed on August 11, 1996, when Greek Cypriot motorcyclist protesters were met in the buffer zone by Turkish Cypriot counter-protesters who, according to the United Nations report on the incident, were “joined by members of the Grey Wolves who had come from Turkey”. As demonstrators from both sides broke into the buffer zone, the incident became violent. Isaac found himself entangled in barbed wire in the buffer zone and was beaten to death by Turkish Cypriots and Turks who had also entered the buffer zone. Solomou was killed three days later when, following Isaac’s funeral, Greek Cypriot demonstrators once again travelled to Dherynia. He distanced himself from his fellow protesters and walked towards a Turkish military post, attempting to climb a flagpole to remove a Turkish flag, before being shot dead by a Turkish soldier. In addition to the tour of Greece, motorcyclists are also set to travel to Paralimni on August 8 to mark the anniversary of both men’s deaths.