Relatives of missing persons from Assia demand excavation of Dikomo landfill

Representatives of the committee for missing persons from the village of Assia are calling for an immediate excavation of the Dikomo landfill site. They believe that remains of 70 civilians killed in August 1974, who were originally disposed of in wells in the Ornithi area, may have been relocated there. Giannos Dimitriou and community leader Christoforos Skarparis state that the Turkish side is deliberately placing obstacles to hinder the Committee on Missing Persons (CMP) and potential discovery of evidence. Families are currently facing the distressing situation of receiving small bone fragments in separate installments, leading many to refuse partial burials until complete remains are found. Maria Leontiou, a daughter of a missing person, reported that only 49 small bone fragments, representing 23% of her father's remains, have been identified for her. Some families are now forced to consider reopening previous graves to inter additional fragments, a process many find unacceptable. The committee demands that the issue of these missing persons be treated as a priority in confidence-building measures.