Greek detained after crossing north

By Jean Christou

A GREEK man living in Cyprus was yesterday remanded for three days by a military ‘court’ in the occupied areas.

Spyros Lilles, 24, a salesman from Larissa in northern Greece, was arrested by Turkish forces in the early hours of Sunday morning in the Ayios Pavlos area of Nicosia.

Reports suggested Lilles, who works for a company which distributes wines and spirits, was so drunk he did not know what he was doing when he crossed to the occupied areas at 5.45am.

Unficyp spokesman Waldemar Rokoszewski said officers from the force, along with a UN doctor, visited Lilles yesterday in occupied Nicosia.

“He is having problem recalling the exact sequence of events,” Rokoszewski said. Otherwise, he added, Lilles was in perfect health.

“He says he is OK and has been treated well and has no complaints,” Rokoszewski said.

Lilles’ fiancée was due to cross north to visit him later yesterday or today to take him some personal items.

“We are working on his speedy release and believe he will join his family for Christmas,” Rokoszewski said.

Rokoszewski confirmed that Turkish soldiers had fired a number of warning shots at two men coming towards the occupied areas. It was reported that the second man had turned back before entering the occupied areas.

The Turks claim Lilles entered a first degree military zone.

The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.