Murderers of Isaac and Solomon free 30 years on – Interpol cancelled three Red Notices
Thirty years after the killings in Deryneia, the 13 wanted suspects remain at large. Interpol cancelled three Red Notices following pressure from Turkey.
Thirty years of impunity for the murderers in Deryneia
Thirty years after the killings of Tasos Isaac and Solomon Solomon in the buffer zone of Deryneia, none of the wanted suspects has been brought before a court. According to Politis, Interpol cancelled three Red Notices concerning persons involved in Solomon's killing, following steps taken by Turkey — a decision that the Republic of Cyprus did not accept and continues to seek the suspects.
The killing of Isaac, 11 August 1996
Tasos Isaac was killed during an anti-occupation motorcycle march organised by Cypriots and Europeans to condemn the Turkish invasion. He was beaten to death in the buffer zone by Turkish Cypriots and Turkish military and paramilitary forces, including members of the Grey Wolves. United Nations peacekeepers were present at the scene but did not intervene. His wife, who was pregnant at the time, gave birth to their daughter Anastasia on 17 September 1996, a few weeks after his death.
The killing of Solomon, 14 August 1996
Three days later, during Isaac's memorial service at the same location, fresh clashes erupted. Solomon Solomon, Isaac's cousin and resident of Paralimni, entered the buffer zone and attempted to take down the Turkish flag from a guard post flagpole in the occupied areas. As he climbed the pole, he was shot in the neck and killed on the spot. The perpetrators were captured on television footage and in photographs.
The arrest warrants and Red Notices
The authorities of the Republic of Cyprus issued a total of eight arrest warrants for Isaac's killing and five for Solomon's killing. In January 2013, the then attorney general Alekos Markides ordered the cancellation of the original national warrants, the issuance of new ones and their registration with Interpol. Wanted Person Diffusions were issued in May 2013, as the additional personal details required by Interpol's new regulations were not initially available. After being gathered, Red Notices were issued in October 2015 for three of the eight persons wanted for Isaac's killing.
In Solomon's case, the Legal Service had requested the arrest of five persons as early as 30 October 1996. On 14 April 1997, Interpol's General Secretariat requested clarification on the involvement of three of them. On 5 June 1997, it informed the Cypriot authorities that it was cancelling the corresponding Red Notices, determining that there was insufficient evidence — a decision taken following steps by Turkey, which had requested the cancellation of all warrants and notices.
The wanted persons
For Tasos Isaac's killing, five persons are sought with Wanted Person Diffusions and three with Red Notices. Among them:
- Hasim Yilmaz, a Turkish settler and former member of Turkish intelligence (MIT), who in 1996 ran a café in Kyrenia.
- Neyfel Mustafa Ergun, a Turkish settler, aged 26 at the time, and a "police officer" of the pseudostate.
- Polat Fikret Koreli, a Turkish Cypriot, aged 17 at the time, resident of occupied Famagusta.
- Mehmet Mustafa Arslan, a Turkish settler, aged 41 at the time, and a "leader" of the Grey Wolves in the occupied areas.
- Erhan Arikli, aged 40 at the time, from the former Soviet Union, a permanent resident of the pseudostate since 1986.
For Solomon Solomon's killing, five persons are sought:
- Kenan Akin, then "minister" of agriculture of the pseudostate.
- Ertal Hatziali Emanet, then commander of the Special Forces of the Turkish occupation army.
- Hasan Kontaksi, former commander of the occupation army.
- Attilas Sav, then "head" of the police of the pseudostate.
- Mehmet Karli, then "general" of the Turkish occupation army.
Parliament briefing, November 2024
Last November, the Ministry of Justice sent an extensive briefing letter to Parliament, dated 4 November 2025, following a question from former MP Stavros Papadouris. The letter sets out in detail the history of the warrants and Red Notices, as well as the reasons why Interpol — an international organisation that issues wanted person notices and arrest alerts which do not constitute international arrest warrants — cancelled three of them.
The Republic of Cyprus disagreed with Interpol's decision and continues to seek all five persons connected to Solomon's killing.
Source: Politis