Remains of 15 identified Turkish Cypriots to be buried on September 18 at Atlılar cemetery

The Committee on Missing Persons (CMP) has completed the identification of the remains of 15 Turkish Cypriots recovered during excavations near the village of Atlılar in Northern Cyprus. The state funeral ceremony will take place on September 18 at 17:15 at the martyrs’ cemetery in Atlılar.

According to Asu Muhtaroğlu, director of the Protocol Department, Turkish Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz is expected to attend the ceremony.

Excavations at the burial site were conducted from July 24, 2023, to April 23, 2024. Those identified include entire families, with the victims’ ages ranging from 40 days to 56 years: the list includes Tule Süleyman, 28, and her three children — Hasan, 10, Kemal, 6, and Okan, 3.

The funeral was initially planned for September 1 but was postponed after a vessel sank off Kyrenia, killing several people.

After the ceremony, the “Muratağa — Atlılar — Sandallar” museum will open. It was established by the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TİKA) in memory of the residents of the three villages who were killed in 1974.