Revelations of “Haravgi” newspaper
Seven Commandos were executed for refusing to take part in the coup
By journalist Mihalis Mihail, “Haravgi” newspaper
● 47 years after the treacherous coup of 15 July 1974, new information confirms the crimes committed by the coupists…
● Sotiris Adamos Constantinou has been vindicated, has the time come for the rest? New evidence about the Commando Sergeant Ioanni Ioannis Ioannou from the village of Pelendri
47 years after the treasonous coup d’état of 15 July 1974, new information is coming to light from an investigation carried out by journalists.
47 years onwards and the investigations continue revealing that during those tragic days six or seven men of the Commando Forces who refused to take part in the coup d’état were executed.
The investigation reveals that Sergeant Ioannis Ioannou of the ‘Green Beret’ Commandos from Pelendri, whose memorial service is being held today in his local community, was not killed during the attack by the 31st Commando Squadron in the area of the state-owned Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation (RIK), but was most likely executed-murdered because of his refusal to take part in the coup.
The new case brought to light today by “Haravgi” newspaper confirms that there were Commandos who were executed for refusing to participate in the coup among the 22 Commandos buried in the mass grave.
The investigation was launched about a year and a half ago by four journalists from Greece, who began re-investigating aspects of the coup. One of them is Christos E. Kouzoulis, who helped us in uncovering the details that will follow. It is worth noting that more data will follow, which will also be posted on a website under construction and which we will announce.
The investigator’s belief that other Commandos were also murdered is confirmed by Eleftherios Stamatis’ book, “Gentlemen, go to sleep”. Eleftherios Stamatis served as a Captain of the 31st Commando Squadron in Cyprus during the period 1973-1974, and retired on 2 May 2000, receiving the title of honorary Commander of the 1st Army.
The findings of the investigation reveal that besides the case of Commando Sotiris Adamos Konstantinou, there were other Commandos too who refused to take part in the coup and were subsequently executed.
Sotiris Adamos Konstantinou was neither the first, nor the only case
The participation of the 31st Commando Squadron in the coup d’état is also recorded on the website of the Pancyprian Association of Reservist Commandos: “On the morning of 15 July 1974, the then Commander of the Commando Corps, Colonel Konstantinos Kompokis, gave the order at the Commando camp in Athalassa to the 13th Strike Company to proceed to attack the Presidential Palace, ordered the 11th Strike Company and the Support Company to attack the state-owned Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation, the Special Reserve Police Force and the central Police Headquarters”.
As mentioned above, the 22 Commandos were buried in a common grave in the Constantine and Helen Cemetery in Nicosia.
Among them was the hero Sotiris Adamou Constantinou, who for more than three decades was considered a coupist, but thanks to his family’s persistent struggle, he was exhumed and finally vindicated, as it has now been officially recognised that Sotiris was in a cowardly fashion shot in the back and executed by the coupists.
Yiannis Ioannou
Now it is the turn of Yiannakis Ioannou from Pelendri
In the course of the investigations being carried out, there were soldiers and Officers of the time from all 3 Squadrons of the Commando units, who spoke about the events. Rumours of executions of Commandos being carried out had been circulating from the very first days after the coup.
The first official admission by a leading official of the National Guard was made in court in Athens in 1976, when during his trial Karachalios (who had allegedly shot Captain Hermes Christodoulou in the legs) admitted that the first casualties were suffered before they left their camps. Later Eleftherios Stamatis came to confirm this fact in his aforementioned book. More specifically on p. 63 of his book he writes among other things the following: “And who can you not remember of the unfortunate dead of the Commando Squadron, some of whom may have had an opposing view with regards the purpose of the undertaking (Note: the coup), some of whom may have fallen by the deadly friendly fire…”
In other words, there is a second confirmation here too.
Beatings and executions
As the findings prove, Ioannou was against the coup and refused to take part in it. According to testimonies, that morning those soldiers who objected to taking part in the coup were beaten. Sergeant Ioannou was one of the leaders and tried to help soldiers not to be beaten. It should be noted that the information provided on both the case of Ioannou and the other cases of the 6 Commandos is reliable. Ioannou may also have been executed for leading the effort to prevent beatings.
The official finding (dated 2/6/2020) on the circumstances surrounding Ioannous’ death (page 4) indicates that from the exhumation that was carried out in 2014 “the skeleton is practically intact and, consequently, the conclusions from its examination are particularly worthy”.
The finding states that the investigating officer identified serious inconsistencies in the witnesses regarding the circumstances of Ioannis’ death (page 7).
Head injury
Regarding the cause of death, the report states that Ioannou was shot with a bullet from a military firearm “with high projectile power”. As it is clear from the findings of the forensic anthropological examination, the person in question was “shot from the front and from a level higher than the one at which he was standing at the time of the shooting…” (pages 4, 5).
Based on this reference, and given that the entrance and exit of the bullet has a slight slope from top to bottom, it is speculated that he was probably forced to kneel before being shot. Indeed, it is suggested that his hands were tied behind his back.
It is also significant that the conclusions of the relevant finding state (page 8, note 2) that he died under uncertain circumstances and that there were no reliable accounts of his death.
Paragraph 3 states that the date of his death (15 July) is substantiated by the entry in the record book of Nicosia Casualty “where it is written that he was transported dead on 15 July 1974, together with another unidentified dead soldier aged 20”.
And although his details were noted in the Casualty records, he was buried the following day as “unknown”.
There is no evidence of any involvement in the coup
Finally, the last point of the finding (No. 12) states that the totality of the findings and their evaluation “do not substantiate or lead to a safe conclusion that the death of Sergeant K.D. Ioannou Ioannis Pantelis came from or was caused by his active and voluntary participation in any coupist actions on 15.7.1974, in the vicinity of the Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation, the police residences nearby, police clothing warehouse, the Special Reserve Force camp, for the overthrow of the lawful government of the Republic of Cyprus”.