Photographer apologises over models’ photoshoot at Greek Cypriot cemetery in the north

By Staff Reporter

A SERIES of pictures depicting two models posing in a Greek Cypriot cemetery in the occupied north appeared in media outlets yesterday.

The models, one male one female, pose for the camera amongst graves in an abandoned cemetery. The male model appears shirtless while in one of the pictures the woman holds a marble cross that bears an inscription of the deceased man and day of death.

The pictures seem to have originated from an online news site that published the photos in a story titled “Turkish models posing over Greek Cypriot graves”. The article was posted on Monday, at 2.27 a.m.

The pictures bear a watermark by a photo studio named “M&B Photography”, which presumably operates in the north.

Later yesterday, it emerged that the photographer, Bastemur Bilal, had not realised the controversy his pictures were bound to cause and apologised.

“It’s clear that a lot of mistakes have been done, but we will have to use every possible chance to apologise,” he has reportedly said.
“Sorry.”

Asked why he chose to photograph models in a cemetery, Bilal said it was just a location that had ticked with him as he passed by and that he never had any intention of passing any messages.

It should be noted that the pictures were taken in 2013 according to the watermark, but only surfaced yesterday.

To view the photos press here