Achilleas Kyprianou breaks silence on his 1977 abduction

On October 6, 2026, Achilleas Kyprianou, the eldest son of former Cypriot President Spyros Kyprianou, gave a historical televised interview on the state channel's program 'Kodikas Siopis'. Kyprianou decided to publicly recount his 1977 abduction for the first time, citing his deteriorating health as the reason for coming forward nearly 50 years later. He had requested that the interview be broadcast only after the elections of May 2026.

During the interview, Kyprianou described being lured into a trap at the Machairas reserve camp. He detailed his four-day captivity in an underground bunker near Kivides in the Limassol district. Kyprianou refuted long-standing conspiracy theories that the kidnapping was staged, revealing he was held by an organization with a military structure. He recounted harrowing moments, including being forced to record an ultimatum and receiving death threats that his captors would execute him and send his head to his father.

This account serves as a final testimony regarding one of the most debated events in post-war Cypriot political history. Kyprianou expressed his long-standing desire to correct the distortion of facts surrounding his abduction, stating he had previously avoided revisiting the traumatic experience. No further legal or investigative actions were mentioned in the reports regarding this testimony.