The final act of the Turkish smuggler of antiquities Aydin Dikmen case was completed on Tuesday in Munich with the signing of an agreement for the repatriation of 24 ecclesiastical relics and 36 prehistoric and other antiquities by June 20 between the Republic of Cyprus and the German authorities. An press release by the Synodal Committee stated that today is "undoubtedly a historic day and day of joy because after 27 years of persistent effort and legal battles, the most important case of looting of antiquities of Cypriot relics after the Turkish invasion of Cyprus in July 1974 has been completed." The Committee noted that the Turkish smuggler of antiquities, Dikmen, with the cooperation of the occupation regime and his collaborators, removed more than 50 Greek Orthodox, Maronite and Armenian Christian monuments, antiquities from occupied archaeological museums and private collections. The thousands of objects seized from the antiquities smuggling premises in March 1997 included 318 relics of Cypriot orig in. Mosaics of the 6th century, frescoes from the 8th-15th century, icons, doors, manuscripts, prehistoric and other antiquities. According to the statement, the marathon legal fight began in 2004. The case would end in 2010 with the decision of the Munich District Court. However, this was followed by Dikmen's appeal to the Court of Appeal and the partial repatriation of 173 relics in July 2013 and another 85 in August 2015. "The final act of the A. Dikmen case took place today with the signing of an agreement for the repatriation of 24 ecclesiastical relics and 36 prehistoric and other antiquities between the Republic of Cyprus and the German authorities in Munich," it said. The Church of Cyprus expresses its gratitude to all those who have contributed in any way over the years to the successful conclusion of the case, the representatives of the Munich Police, the General Prosecutor's Office and the Judicial Authorities of the city, while on behalf of the Republic of Cyprus, the representatives of the Gen eral Prosecutor's Office, the Cyprus Police and the Department of Antiquities. He also thanks the special experts in the case, Dr. Johannes Deckers and Dr. Katerina Hadjistylli who helped identify the objects. Also Tasoula Hadjitofi, former Consul of the Republic of Cyprus in The Hague, the late Byzantinologist Athanasios Papageorgiou and the lawyer of the Republic of Cyprus in the case Enno Engbers. Around 60 antiquities will be repatriated to Cyprus after June 20, the statement concluded. Source: Cyprus News Agency
Menu