Achilleas Kyprianou breaks silence on 1977 abduction

Achilleas Kyprianou, the eldest son of former Cyprus President Spyros Kyprianou, has publicly addressed his 1977 kidnapping for the first time in an interview aired on October 6, 2026, on the state broadcaster's program "Kodikas Siopis." Decades later, Kyprianou, who is suffering from a serious illness, decided to speak out to challenge persistent rumors that his abduction was a staged political maneuver to aid his father's re-election.

The abduction occurred in December 1977 while Kyprianou was serving as a 19-year-old second lieutenant at a reserve camp in Machairas. He described being lured into a trap, held in a tunnel near Kivides in Limassol for four days, and threatened with execution, including being warned that his head would be sent to his father. During his captivity, he overheard details regarding an organized group with a military structure.

Kyprianou emphasized that he chose this moment to speak because he may not have another opportunity due to his declining health. He expressed fatigue over years of "slander and lies" surrounding his ordeal, seeking to provide a definitive account of the traumatic events that affected both his personal life and the political history of Cyprus.