Cypriot Greeks mark 64th anniversary struggle against colonialism

NICOSIA, April 1 (Xinhua) -- The Greek population of Cyprus on Monday marked the 64th anniversary of a guerrilla campaign against British colonial rule that led to the independence of the eastern Mediterranean island in 1960, after centuries of foreign rule.

The liberation struggle of Greek Cypriots started on April 1, 1955, with a barrage of bombings against British colonial installations and continued until 1959, when peace negotiations started.

Small groups of guerrillas hiding in mountain hideouts mounted ambush attacks in rural areas and carried out bomb attacks in the cities that kept busy 40,000 British soldiers for four years.

A recent study said that a total of 371 British soldiers, 18 policemen and 26 civilians died during the four-year liberation campaign. About 100 guerrillas and other Greek Cypriots died, either in action or during civilian demonstrations.

The campaign was led by a Greek Cypriot general of the Greek army, who directed his fighters of EOKA, the Greek acronym name for the National Organization of Cypriot Fighters, from a mountain hideout.

Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades attended ceremonies in memory of fighters killed in action or hanged by the British.

He laid wreaths on the "imprisoned graves" of nine fighters who were hanged and buried next to the gallows with three other guerrillas who were killed in action. The "imprisoned graves" have become the symbol of the EOKA campaign.

Later in the day, a group of elderly EOKA fighters, now in their late 70s and 80s, marched in front of an indoors gathering to celebrate the anniversary.

Among them were some of the 33 veterans who were recently compensated by the British government in a 1.1 million euro (1.23 million U.S. dollars) settlement of their court action for having been tortured during interrogation.