THERE were tears of relief and sorrow amid overwhelming scenes of emotion as Panicos Tsiakourmas was set free by a ‘court’ in occupied Famagusta yesterday, just hours after his mother died from a stroke her doctors said was brought on by her son’s detention.
Tsiakourmas’ ordeal finally came to an end at midday yesterday when Judge Recep Gurler sentenced him to six months in jail, but ordered his immediate release because of time already served and good conduct.
But it was too late for Eleni Tsiakourmas, 79, who had died at 4am, whispering her son’s name at the last.
Panicos Tsiakourmas had been in detention in the north since his abduction from British Sovereign Base land last December 13.
Yesterday was a roller coaster of emotions for Tsiakourmas and his family.
At 10am, the ‘court’ announced that the 39-year old Greek Cypriot contractor, who is married with three children, had been found guilty of possessing and trafficking cannabis.
He had to wait until midday before the sentence was announced.
“Taking into consideration the time the accused was held in custody, he is to be released immediately,” said Judge Gurler, adding that his health and family circumstances had also been taken into account. Like his mother, Tsiakourmas is a diabetic and spent several days in hospital during his detention.
Tsiakourmas’ wife Niki, his two brothers and one sister broke into tears when they heard the decision.
But there was a further tragic twist to come. Tsiakourmas did not know that his mother had died.
“I am very happy because the nightmare is over now. I am going to see my sick mother,” he told reporters outside the ‘court’.
But it did not take him long to figure out the truth, as everyone around him knew his 78-year-old mother had died just before daybreak.
Eleni Tsiakourmas had been admitted to Larnaca Hospital last Thursday after suffering a stroke that doctors said was brought on because of the trauma of her son’s abduction and continued detention.
Tsiakourmas’ mother had slipped into unconsciousness and was not responding to treatment. She died at 4am.
Her last breath was spent whispering Panicos’ name, reports said.
“We had to lose one life to save another one,” Panicos’ sister said after her brother’s release.
An hour later, Tsiakourmas crossed back to the free areas at the Ledra Palace checkpoint, where he and his family had been driven from Famagusta in a British High Commission vehicle.
“We are both happy and sad,” Tsiakourmas said on his return. “I am going to see my mother at last although she is dead,” he added in a charged atmosphere at the checkpoint.
“She sacrificed her life for Panicos,” said his wife Niki, bursting into tears in her husband’s arms.
The reunited couple then drove to Larnaca Hospital, where Eleni Tsiakourmas’ body was held.
“Go see her. She will feel your presence, even now,” Tsiakourmas’ brother, Kyriacos urged him.
Eleni Tsiakourmas’ funeral will take place today.
Tsiakourmas was abducted on December 13 last year from the Pyla-Pergamos road within British bases territory, taken to the north and accused of possessing 1.5 kilos of cannabis. His car was found abandoned with the doors open and the lights on early in the morning.
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.
