On the 14th of August 1974, Greek Cypriots massacred Turkish Cypriot women and children from the Muratağa and Sandallar villages.

After 47 years, the process to identify the remains of 11 children who had been buried in a mass grave has finally been completed by the Committee on Missing Persons in Cyprus.

The child martyrs, the youngest of whom was 3-years-old and the oldest 17, were buried in individual graves with a state ceremony.

The head of the Association for the Perpetuation of the Muratağa Sandallar Atlılar Martyrs and President Ersin Tatar delivered speeches at the ceremony.

Speaking at the ceremony, Tatar said that their hearts were full of sorrow as they laid the 11 children to their final resting places.

“The mentality, we still face today, made no discrimination among women, children and babies, massacring innocent civilians. They believed they could exterminate us but as we stand here before our martyrs we say to the world that we will not return to the pre-1974 conditions. Turkey’s active and effective guarantees must continue so that we may live freely, independently and in security. The presence of the Turkish Armed Forces is the sole security and assurance of the Turkish Cypriot people,” he said.

Tatar concluded his speech by stating that the Turkish Cypriot people will never accept an imposed settlement or becoming a minority within a Greek Cypriot state.

While the remains of a total of 88 people have been unearthed in excavations carried out in the Muratağa Sandallar mass grave, only 75 persons have been identified and provided with a proper burial.

The ceremony had brought the figure to 86.

The identification process for two martyrs is still continuing.