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People
Cyprus
Evagoras Pallikaridis (1938-1957)
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Evagoras Pallikaridis {Ευαγόρας Παλληκαρίδης} (1938-1957). One of the main figures of the 1955-1959 Struggle for Freedom from British rule which led to the liberation of Cyprus and to its being declared an independent republic in 1960, Evagoras Pallikaridis joined the National Organization for the Cypriot Struggle {Ethniki Organosis Kiprion Agoniston ~ Εθνική Οργάνωσις Κυπρίων Αγωνιστών (E.O.K.A.)} at the age of 17. He was born on February 27th and was originally from the village of Tsada {Τσάδα} in Pafos {Πάφος} Province. His father's name was Miltiadis {Μιλτιάδης} and his mother's name was Afroditi Pallikara {Αφροδίτη Παλληκαρά}. Evagoras took his grandfather's surname.
When he was still very young he enjoyed playing war games with wooden swords. He was good at school but rather quiet for his age. Evagoras had four siblings; Lefteris {Λευτέρης}, Andreas {Ανδρέας}, Georgia {Γεωργία}, and Maria {Μαρία}, who was younger. Stelios Mavrommatis [People] was his cousin.
Because of celebrations in honour of their queen, the British had raised Union Jack flags in all Cypriot schools. Pafos was the only town where celebrations were not held for the queen, as Evagoras had taken down the British flag although he knew full well what the consequences of such an act would be. He carried on his resistance with demonstrations and an assault on two British soldiers. After this he was to be tried and would certainly have been convicted. Knowing that he would not be able to stand up to this, he decided to take to the mountains.
When the day of the trial came, Evagoras said goodbye to his family, then went to the classroom he had loved so much at school to see his desk and write a letter to his classmates. He fought in the mountains for a year with a reward of 5,000 pounds on his head, and on February 25th, 1957, was arrested in the woods of Pafos. He had in his possession some food and a submachine gun with no ammunition clips.
On February 27th, 1957, he was sentenced to death and his end came at the end of a rope at midnight on the night of March 13th to March 14th. He was 18 years old.
Despite the fact that he was dead, the British Administration of the island refused permission for his burial in a proper cemetery. He was buried in the cemetery of Nicosia {Lefkosia ~ Λευκωσία} Central Prison, which was known by the name "Imprisoned Graves" {Filakizmena Mnimata ~ Φυλακισμένα Μνήματα}.
Evagoras Pallikaridis (1938-1957)
04-06-2004