Family recalls murder of boy and grandmother during 1974 coup

A family whose eight-year-old son and grandmother were shot dead during the coup of July 15, 1974, said on Wednesday the killings remain an open wound more than five decades later.

Stavros Pidias, aged eight, and his 62-year-old grandmother Margarita Theodorou were killed outside the family home in the Ayios Ioannis area of Limassol during exchanges of gunfire near the police station.

Speaking to the Cyprus News Agency, Stavros’ cousin Spyros Christodoulou and granddaughter Georgia Theodorou described the events they witnessed and the lasting impact on the family.

“It’s a story that I think needs to be heard,” Georgia said.

The family had gathered for breakfast at Margarita’s home on Milos Street when fighting broke out nearby.

According to Spyros, his father and uncle had earlier gone to collect weapons to help defend the police station but returned home after deciding the firearms provided were too old to use.

He said a military jeep later approached the area before gunfire erupted.

“All of us who were on the veranda dropped down,” he recalled, adding that his grandmother and young cousin were struck by bullets while inside the house.

Stavros was fatally wounded in the head while Margarita suffered fatal injuries to the chest. Stavros’ mother, Nafsika, was also injured.

“I was holding my cousin in my arms, and I was shouting to him, ‘Stavros, what happened to you, Stavros, wake up,’” Spyros said.

“His eyes were open and his hands and feet were shaking.”

The family said an ambulance was unable to reach the house during the shoot out and that the bodies were later taken from Limassol hospital by armed men.

Their whereabouts remained unknown until a priest from the church of Ayios Nikolaos informed relatives around 10 days later that the pair had been buried separately from a planned mass grave.

Georgia said one of her strongest childhood memories was returning to the house after the shooting.

“What happened that day tore us apart,” she said, recalling that relatives had to clean blood from the walls and ceiling.

The family said it never received psychological support or official explanations over the killings.

In 2015, relatives erected a memorial with busts of Stavros Pidias and Margarita Theodorou in the Paphos village of Eledio, where an annual memorial service is held.

Their names also appear on the Monument to Fallen Fighters opposite the church of Ayios Nikolaos in Limassol.