Government expresses ‘deep grief’ over death of Eoka fighter

The government as well as Eoka veterans’ organisations on Monday paid tribute to Thasos Sofocleous, a senior member of Eoka who passed away over the weekend.

In a statement, the presidency expressed “deep grief” at the passing of Sofocleous, aged 91.

It said Sofocleous was one of the leaders of the “Eoka national-liberation struggle to shake off the colonialist yoke, but also a leader in preserving the historical memory of the struggle, a man always distinguished by courage, patriotism and selfless service to the country.”

President Nikos Christodoulides and the government conveyed their heartfelt condolences to the family of the deceased.

Eoka (Ethniki Organosis Kyprion Agoniston or National Organisation of Cypriot Fighters) was a Greek Cypriot nationalist guerilla organisation that fought a campaign for the end of British rule in Cyprus, and for eventual union with Greece. It was headed by Georgios Grivas, a Greek army officer.

In a statement of their own, the Eoka Historical Memory Council praised Sofocleous, noting that as “sector leader for Pendadaktylos he caused huge problems to the occupation troops with ambushes and attacks on camps.”

On one occasion, Sofocleous “disguised as a worker, entered and spied on the English army camp at Ayios Amvrosios, which he attacked a few days later.”

The deceased and his team were “arrested after being betrayed, sentenced to life imprisonment and transferred to prison in England until the end of the liberation struggle.”

On the deceased’s politics, the group recalled that Sofocleous had disagreed with Archbishop Makarios, “remaining faithful to Chief Digenis and his vision until his death.”

In 1955 Sofocleous, then attending university in Athens, gave up his studies to join the Eoka cause. He fought as a guerilla in the Pendadaktylos area. At age 23, he took over from insurgent leader Grigoris Afxentiou as Eoka sector leader for Pendadaktylos and later Kyrenia.

He was arrested by British authorities in October 1956 and tortured during his detention. In December 1956 a judge sentenced him to life imprisonment.

Sofocleous served 29 months, as in February-March 1959 he was released along with all other sentenced Eoka fighters.

In February 1957 he had been transferred with eight others to a prison in Britain. His return to Cyprus was delayed until the declaration of independence, in August 1960, as he and the others were deemed “dangerous” for the transitional period.

At the London conference in February 1959, Independence Day for the Republic of Cyprus had originally been set for February 19, 1960. But the transitional period, during which the agreements reached in Zurich and London about the future Republic of Cyprus were to be deliberated in detail, lasted six months longer than planned.

During this timeframe, Sofocleous and the eight others were exiled to Greece.