Cyprus on Monday celebrated the 64th anniversary of the start of the Eoka struggle against British colonial rule, with liturgies and events held island wide.
In Nicosia, the main service was being led by Archbishop Chrysostomos at Saint John’s Cathedral in the presence of President Nicos Anastasiades and other officials.
Later on, a prayer was delivered at the Imprisoned Graves within the central prisons and wreaths were laid on the graves of those who died during the 1955-1959 struggle.
A prayer was being held and wreaths were laid, while torchbearers from the Limassol reservist commandos’ association carried a flame from Chlorakas, where Grivas first landed, and placed at the monument.
In Larnaca, celebrations began with peals of bells in all churches of the town and with the hoisting of the flag at the Eleftheria Statue Square.
In January this year The UK government announced it had reached an out-of-court settlement to the tune of £1m over claims by 33 Eoka veterans who said they were tortured whilst in detention during the 1955-1959 insurgency.
It stressed that the £1m (€1.1m) settlement did not constitute any admission of liability and set no precedent in respect of any potential future claims against the UK government. Legal costs will be assessed at a later date.
The British government said the decision aimed to turn a page in the UK’s relations with the island.
“It is a matter of regret for the UK government that the transition of Cyprus from British administration to independence should have been preceded by five years of violence and loss of life, affecting all residents of the island,” the British government said in a statement.
The case concerned claims filed against the UK government in July 2015 by 35 individuals (since reduced to 33) after Foreign Office documents released in July 2012 described claims of torture and abuse during the Eoka insurgency.
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