On the occasion of the International Day of the Disappeared on Wednesday, TRUTH NOW repeated its call for the Republic of Cyprus to take all necessary measures for the ascertainment of the truth and restoration of justice.

The non-governmental organization also called on the government to provide guarantees of non- repetition of similar events and mistakes.

“The past can neither be altered nor can it be buried,” it said in a press release.

“Truth must be revealed to achieve peace within the society and the souls and minds of those who have been suffering for years, including the relatives of the missing persons,” it added.

At the same time, TRUTH NOW applauded the recent decision of the government to finally proceed with the exhumation of the remains of the dead after the bombing of the Athalassa Psychiatric Hospital in 1974.

As well as the decisions taken by the Committee for Missing Persons (CMP) for the creation of a data base and an accessible system.

“TRUTH NOW also joins the call for more and accurate information that could lead to burial sites and the identification of more of our missing persons,” it said.

“Furthermore, TRUTH NOW repeats its proposal for the creation of a Truth Commission in Cyprus by way of upgrading the existing CMP after amending its Terms of Reference so as, among other, to enable an effective investigation throughout the whole territory of Cyprus.”

Cyprus is divided since a 1974 Turkish invasion sparked by a short-lived coup in Nicosia engineered by the junta then ruling Greece.

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