TC hero to be laid to rest near his place of death

THE remains of a Turkish Cypriot hero will be laid to rest close to where he died trying to protect fellow Küçük Kaymaklı villagers during the “Bloody Christmas” intercommunal violence of 1963.

The bones of Hüseyin Ruso, who was 28 when he was killed, were formally identified through DNA analysis following their discovery, along with those of other martyrs, when a mass grave at Tekke Bahçesi was exhumed last year. All had been killed by Greek Cypriot gunmen.

Mr Ruso, a talented athlete who played football for the Küçük Kaymaklı team, was born in the area on October 11, 1935. In honour of his sporting achievements, a school and stadium in Lefkoşa were named after him.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Kudret Özersay told a BRT television audience on Monday night that it was hoped his remains would finally be laid to rest, as his family wished, close to a monument to the “missing”. It was currently located in a military area, but ministers now aim to remove it from military control to create a martyrs’ cemetery.

“I am a child of a martyr so I understand the feelings of the Ruso family,” said Dr Özersay, adding: “As other martyrs are identified, they will join [Mr Ruso] there.”