As in the case of Erkan Egilmez, the Turkish Cypriot, who was abducted from the UN buffer zone in 1995 by the Greek Cypriot police, this article from Cyprus Mail shows that Omer Tekoglu was also illegally abducted by the Greek Cypriot police again from the UN buffer zone.

 

Government 'will not exchange with Attila'
By Jean Christou Cyprus Mail. 28 Dec. 00

THE GOVERNMENT said yesterday it would not heed calls to exchange Turkish Cypriot drug suspect Omer Tekoglu for kidnapped Greek Cypriot Panicos Tsiakourmas.

The issue heated up yesterday when Andreas Constantinou, the lawyer for the Tsiakourmas family, said the case against Tekoglu would not stand up in court. He said he had heard this in comments allegedly made by DISY leader Nicos Anastassiades to Antenna TV.

Tekoglu from the mixed village of Pyla was arrested on December 2 allegedly for possessing two kilos of heroin following an undercover sting operation. Police say he was arrested outside the UN-controlled buffer zone village but the Turkish side say he was illegally arrested inside the town.

Ten day later following threats of retaliation from the Turkish side, Tsiakourmas, a 39-year old father of three, was abducted from his car within the British Sovereign Base (SBA) of Dhekelia close to the occupied areas.

He is being held in the north pending trial on February 25 for alleged possession of 1.5 kilos of cannabis.

Constantinou, whom reports said would be investigated on disciplinary charges for his comments yesterday, told CyBC radio that he had suggested the swap as a last resort if all other efforts to free Tsiakourmas failed.

"I have trust in the statement of Anastassiades when he told Antenna that the Tekoglu case would fall apart when details of the arrest are brought to the court," Constantinou said. "Since there appears to be a mistake in the arrest of this man we have to move to as a last resort to a swap."

Constantinou said that since the 1974 invasion the practice has always been not to arrest alleged Greek or Turkish Cypriot smugglers in Pyla but on the Pyla-Larnaca road within the Republic.

"I believe the police lied in their statements and I told the Attorney-general this when they said Tekoglu was arrested in the free areas," he said. "If they did arrest in free areas why didn't police show us the car?"

Government spokesman Michalis Papapetrou said the issue of an exchange was not on the cards.

"The government cannot get into the issue of exchanges with Attila," he said. "Such an approach will lead to self annihilation and will encourage Attila to adopt the strategy of abducting and blackmailing."

Papapetrou said it was the Attorney-general's appraisal that the case would stand up in court. He also said there was an honest effort on part of the British government to have Tsiakourmas freed. Britain is outraged that a member of the public was abducted on bases territory and has set up a special road block on the Pyla-Pergamos road to assure motorists.

Yesterday Niki Tsiakourmas met British Bases Commander, Vice Marshall Bill Rimmer.

Speaking to the press after the meeting, bases spokesman Rob Need said Vice Marshall Rimmer "offered his sympathy and shared the frustration that the Tsiakourmas family must be feeling and gave his commitment that he will not personally allow this matter to rest and he would also not allow the English government and the High Commissioner, who represents them, to allow this matter to rest".

Need said the circumstances of the abduction were still "not absolutely clear".

"Circumstantial evidence points to the fact that he was removed from the Bases, and this obviously is a very serious issue," Need said.