Maratha, Santalaris and Aloda massacre
Encyclopedia
Maratha, Santalaris and Aloda massacre , refers to the massacre of Turkish Cypriots
by EOKA B
on 14 August 1974 in the villages of Maratha
, Santalaris and Aloda
. 89 (or 84) people from Maratha and Santalaris were killed, and a further 37 people were killed in the village of Aloda. In total, 126 people were killed during the massacre
.
According to the 1960 census, the inhabitants of the three villages were almost entirely Turkish Cypriots. 84 / 89 of the 207 people in Maratha and Santalaris were killed; however, according to some sources, a number of people escaped from the massacre, some people left the villages in the 1960-74 period and some people were not present in the villages when the inhabitants were massacred. Elderly people and children were also killed during the massacre. Only three people were able to escape from the massacre in Aloda. The inhabitants of the three villages were buried in mass graves by a bulldozer
. The villagers of Maratha and Santalaris were buried in the same grave.
The United Nations
described the massacre as a crime against humanity
, by saying "constituting a further crime against humanity committed by the Greek and Greek Cypriot gunmen." The massacre was reported by international media, including The Guardian
and The Times
.
Turkish Cypriots
Turkish Cypriots are the ethnic Turks and members of the Turkish-speaking ethnolinguistic community of the Eastern Mediterranean island of Cyprus. The term is used to refer explicitly to the indigenous Turkish Cypriots, whose Ottoman Turkish forbears colonised the island in 1571...
by EOKA B
EOKA B
EOKA-B was a Greek Cypriot paramilitary organisation formed in 1971. It followed a right-wing nationalistic ideology and had the ultimate goal of achieving the enosis of Cyprus with Greece...
on 14 August 1974 in the villages of Maratha
Maratha, Cyprus
Maratha is a small village located in the Famagusta District of Cyprus, 7 km south of Lefkoniko.In 1974 a mass-grave containing the bodies of more than 80 murdered Turkish-Cypriots men, women and children was found here. These were the people who were killed in the Maratha, Santalaris and Aloda...
, Santalaris and Aloda
Aloda
Aloda is a small village located in the Famagusta District of Cyprus 5 km west of Agios Sergios. The village was inhabited by Turkish Cypriots before 1974. 37 of the inhabitants were killed during Maratha, Santalaris and Aloda massacre in 1974 and onlay three could escape....
. 89 (or 84) people from Maratha and Santalaris were killed, and a further 37 people were killed in the village of Aloda. In total, 126 people were killed during the massacre
Massacre
A massacre is an event with a heavy death toll.Massacre may also refer to:-Entertainment:*Massacre , a DC Comics villain*Massacre , a 1932 drama film starring Richard Barthelmess*Massacre, a 1956 Western starring Dane Clark...
.
According to the 1960 census, the inhabitants of the three villages were almost entirely Turkish Cypriots. 84 / 89 of the 207 people in Maratha and Santalaris were killed; however, according to some sources, a number of people escaped from the massacre, some people left the villages in the 1960-74 period and some people were not present in the villages when the inhabitants were massacred. Elderly people and children were also killed during the massacre. Only three people were able to escape from the massacre in Aloda. The inhabitants of the three villages were buried in mass graves by a bulldozer
Bulldozer
A bulldozer is a crawler equipped with a substantial metal plate used to push large quantities of soil, sand, rubble, etc., during construction work and typically equipped at the rear with a claw-like device to loosen densely-compacted materials.Bulldozers can be found on a wide range of sites,...
. The villagers of Maratha and Santalaris were buried in the same grave.
The United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
described the massacre as a crime against humanity
Crime against humanity
Crimes against humanity, as defined by the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court Explanatory Memorandum, "are particularly odious offenses in that they constitute a serious attack on human dignity or grave humiliation or a degradation of one or more human beings...
, by saying "constituting a further crime against humanity committed by the Greek and Greek Cypriot gunmen." The massacre was reported by international media, including The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
and The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
.