April 1, 1956
A YEAR OF EOKA: On the occasion of the first anniversary of the beginning of the new liberation movement in Cyprus (the National Cypriot Liberation Struggle, or EOKA), the Athens parliamentary deputy and fighter for Cyprus Savvas Loizidis has made the following statement: «The past year has taken a heavy toll on Greek Cypriots fighting for their freedom. Over 10 people have been killed and many more injured. About 250 Cypriot patriots are in prison and over 60 have served brief sentences. About 350 are being held in concentration camps and thousands of pounds in fines have been imposed. Three-quarters of the schools in Cyprus are closed and 80,000 pupils are unable to continue their education. Many Cypriots have undergone torture and many young people have been whipped. Dozens of families have been forced from their homes and the entire country has often been under curfew. The EOKA struggle has so far cost the British over 100 lives, although they admit to only 24. Meanwhile, the British also recently abducted the ethnarch, Archbishop Makarios, and his associates, and exiled them to the Seychelles Islands in the Indian Ocean.
