A Cypriot refugee from the Turkish-occupied north committed suicide on Thursday by walking into a clearly signposted minefield near the Green Line dividing Cyprus on the 29th anniversary of his elder brother’s execution by Turkish invasion forces.

The man, identified yesterday as tourist agent Andreas Georgiou, 34, parked his car 200 meters (yards) from the minefield near the southeastern village of Athienou, and walked into the danger zone despite it being clearly signposted and protected by barbed wire.

Soldiers at a nearby National Guard post in the area saw Georgiou head for the minefield but were unable to react in time to save him.

Yesterday, Georgiou’s relatives said the man had been mentally unstable, and his condition had worsened as the anniversary of the Turkish invasion approached. Georgiou’s 17-year-old brother was murdered in front of the rest of the family by Turkish soldiers on August 14, 1974, in the Georgious’ home village of Afaneia.