15/07/2026
Pancyprian Federation of Labour (PEO) on the 52 Years Since the Twin Crimes of the Coup and Invasion Against Cyprus
15 July 2026
This year marks 52 years since the twin crimes of 1974—the coup d’état of July 15 and Turkey’s invasion on July 20—which caused an immense tragedy in Cyprus, resulting in thousands of deaths, refugees, and missing persons.
We are still living with the consequences of this twin crime through Turkey’s ongoing occupation of 37% of Cyprus’s territory.
The coup was not carried out by “reckless people,” as those who wish to whitewash the betrayal committed and distort history characterize the traitors. History cant be erased and the consequences of this twin crime remind us of it every day.
The coup was a series of hate crimes committed by the fascists of EOKA B against democracy and the people who defended it. The arrests of democrats were political; the murders of Leftists were political; the attempted assassination of the democratically elected President and the violent overthrow of democracy were political.
In this tragedy, hundreds of workers members and militants of PEO made the ultimate sacrifice. They were hunted down, arrested, tortured, and murdered by the fascists of EOKA B. Many found themselves on the front lines of the resistance against the invasion and sacrificed their lives for their homeland, while the traitors—their domestic persecutors—hid with their weapons in the mountains, far from the front lines of the war. As PEO, we commemorate the fallen of the Black Summer every year around this time.
The only way to honor their sacrifice is through our commitment to continuing the struggle for a solution and the reunification of our Cyprus.
Guided by the sacrifice of the thousands of workers during the Black Summer of 1974, we, as PEO, will continue to fight with dedication for a bi-zonal, bi-communal federation with political equality between the two communities, as interpreted in the United Nations resolutions. For one state with a single sovereignty, a single citizenship, and a single international legal personality—demilitarized and independent, without any “guardians” or “protectors”—for a common homeland for all Cypriots.
With the solution of the Cyprus problem and the reunification of our country, the Cypriot people will be able to work toward universal progress in conditions of peace and security within the framework of a unified economy, with a single system of labor relations and working conditions for all workers, both Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots.
In cooperation with the Turkish Cypriot trade union organizations that are members of the World Federation of Trade Unions (WFTU), PEO will continue, on the basis of class solidarity and unity, to work toward strengthening the front of Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot working people, for a solution and reunification.
