Aluminum Massacre

The Alaminos Massacre refers to the events that occurred on 20 July 1974 during the commencement of Cyprus Peace Operation, in the mixed-population village of Alaminos (Alaminyo), attached to Larnaca, in which various sources report that 15 or 20 Greek Cypriot Turks were killed. A separate attack in the village in 1967 had already resulted in the deaths of five Greek Cypriot Turks. The incidents hold significant importance in literature due to their targeting of both Greek and Greek Cypriot elements as well as Greek Cypriot Turkish civilians and young Turkish men in the village.

Background

Until 1974, the village of Alaminos was a mixed-population settlement with 183 Greek Cypriot Turks and 350 Greek Cypriots.

During the second half of the 1960s, as intercommunal tensions on the island intensified, a bomb planted in 1967 led to the deaths of five Greek Cypriot Turks in the village. This incident is described as a precursor to the larger-scale attack that would occur in 1974.

Attack on the Village

On 20 July 1974, simultaneous with Turkey’s launch of the Cyprus Peace Operation, the village of Alaminos was attacked by Greek Cypriot forces. The attackers entered the Turkish section of the village and took civilians—women, men, elderly, and children—prisoner, detaining them in the village’s Greek school.

Fifteen or 20 Greek Cypriot Turks, aged between six and 80, were killed during this attack.

Many young Turkish men were executed en masse near walls and on the football field. The victims of the attack were buried in mass graves dug by bulldozers and covered over.

Discovery and Identification of the Bodies

The graves of the Greek Cypriot Turks killed in 1974 were uncovered during excavation efforts. Those whose identities were confirmed through DNA analysis were buried with military honors at the Lefkoşa Cemetery.

Commemoration Ceremonies and Subsequent Years

The Alaminos Massacre is commemorated annually in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. The ceremonies are held at the Değirmenlik–Alaminyo Martyrs’ Monument and involve participation by state officials, military representatives, families of the martyrs, and villagers. The events include speeches, wreath-laying, moments of silence, and poetry readings.

During these commemorations, the 15 or 20 individuals killed in 1974 and the five who lost their lives in 1967 are remembered together.