A photograph circulating online showing two blindfolded men, believed to be Greek Cypriot prisoners of war from 1974, has been verified as authentic by a former Turkish broadcaster who says he appears in the image.

The Cyprus Independent Reporting Network, (Ciren), contacted Turkish journalist Selim Esen after questions were raised regarding the photograph’s authenticity on social media, where it had also been circulated in enhanced and colourised form.

Esen, who was dispatched to Cyprus in 1974 as a reporter for the Turkish Radio and Television Corporation (TRT) to cover the invasion, told Ciren that the image is genuine and part of his personal archive.

“The person on the right in civilian clothes is me,” he said.

He added that the photograph was taken in Mia Milia on August 14, 1974, during the second phase of Operation Attila.

“The civilian next to the blindfolded person on the left, as far as I remember, is a member of the TMT. The photo was taken by my cameraman friend Vedat Gures or Sonat Konor, who came to Cyprus with me.”

The image, first shared by independent researcher Odysseas Christou on May 4, shows three men standing in front of a black Mercedes, with a blindfolded man positioned between a civilian and an armed soldier.

Initial digital checks referenced by Ciren indicated mixed results from AI detection tools, which flagged manipulation in edited versions.

The photograph has also been circulated in a cropped black and white form showing additional figures as well as another blindfolded individual.

The Committee on Missing Persons (CMP) reports a total of 2,002 missing persons from the 1963 to 1974 period, with 933 still unaccounted for.

More than half have been identified through ongoing investigations and exhumations.

Speaking to Politis, Christou said the material is used to encourage witness testimony.

“The aim is not to evaluate the photo but to identify the blindfolded prisoner,” he said, adding that social media can help generate new leads.

“The more time passes, the less chances of determining their fate.”

He also confirmed that images on his platform are often digitally enhanced.

CMP has confirmed it is aware of the case but does not comment on ongoing investigations.

Relatives’ representatives have welcomed continued public interest but warned that unofficial identification efforts have previously led to confusion, as some cases initially believed to involve missing persons were later found to relate to prisoners of war released after 1974.

Further examination of the photograph and its provenance are underway as researchers attempt to verify identities connected to the image.