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| Cyprus ex-leader's remains stolen | Cyprus ex-leader's remains stolen |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| Thieves have stolen the remains of Tassos Papadopoulos, the former president of the Republic of Cyprus, police say. | Thieves have stolen the remains of Tassos Papadopoulos, the former president of the Republic of Cyprus, police say. |
| Mr Papadopoulos' body was removed after his grave in Nicosia was broken into overnight, officials said. | Mr Papadopoulos' body was removed after his grave in Nicosia was broken into overnight, officials said. |
| Mr Papadopoulos died of lung cancer in Nicosia in 2008, aged 74. | Mr Papadopoulos died of lung cancer in Nicosia in 2008, aged 74. |
| The theft from the Deftera village cemetery in Nicosia was discovered a day before the first anniversary of his death. | The theft from the Deftera village cemetery in Nicosia was discovered a day before the first anniversary of his death. |
| The desecration was discovered by one of Mr Papadopoulos's former guards who lights a candle in the cemetery every morning, the official Cyprus News Agency reports. | The desecration was discovered by one of Mr Papadopoulos's former guards who lights a candle in the cemetery every morning, the official Cyprus News Agency reports. |
| The robbers are thought to have worked during torrential rain overnight, lifting a marble slab weighing 250kg before unearthing the coffin and removing the corpse. | |
| Eloquence and anger | Eloquence and anger |
| The theft has been widely condemned. Republic of Cyprus President Demetris Christofias described it as "sacrilege". | |
| "It is an immoral and condemnable act which is a blight to our culture and respect for our dead," said Mr Christofias on the sidelines of the European Council summit in Brussels. | |
| TASSOS PAPADOPOULOS Born in 1934Trained as a barrister in London during the 1950sAchieved prominence in the political wing of the right-wing paramilitary group EOKA Became youngest government minister, aged 24, in 1959 after independence from British ruleOccupied several ministerial positions, before narrowly winning the presidential election in 2003Lost a bid for a second term as president in February 2008, before dying in December 2008 | TASSOS PAPADOPOULOS Born in 1934Trained as a barrister in London during the 1950sAchieved prominence in the political wing of the right-wing paramilitary group EOKA Became youngest government minister, aged 24, in 1959 after independence from British ruleOccupied several ministerial positions, before narrowly winning the presidential election in 2003Lost a bid for a second term as president in February 2008, before dying in December 2008 |
| Marios Garoyan, leader of the former president's centre-right Diko party, condemned the act as a "heinous and terrible crime", AFP reported. | |
| Andros Kyprianou, the head of Cyprus' ruling Akel party, described it as "macabre and utterly condemnable". | Andros Kyprianou, the head of Cyprus' ruling Akel party, described it as "macabre and utterly condemnable". |
| "I am honestly still trying to comprehend what kind of warped minds could even think of doing such a thing, let alone actually carry it out," he said. | "I am honestly still trying to comprehend what kind of warped minds could even think of doing such a thing, let alone actually carry it out," he said. |
| The motive for the theft remains unclear, investigators say. But it is bound to stir up passions over a UN-led peace effort aimed at reuniting the Turkish and Greek parts of the island, says the BBC's Malcolm Brabant in Athens. | The motive for the theft remains unclear, investigators say. But it is bound to stir up passions over a UN-led peace effort aimed at reuniting the Turkish and Greek parts of the island, says the BBC's Malcolm Brabant in Athens. |
| Mr Papadopoulos was vehemently opposed to the peace plan, and his eloquence and anger convinced a resounding majority of Greek Cypriots to vote against it in a referendum, while Turkish Cypriots voted overwhelmingly in favour. | Mr Papadopoulos was vehemently opposed to the peace plan, and his eloquence and anger convinced a resounding majority of Greek Cypriots to vote against it in a referendum, while Turkish Cypriots voted overwhelmingly in favour. |
| A veteran of Greek Cypriot politics, he became president in 2003 but lost a bid for a second term in 2008. He was defeated by Demetris Christofias, a former coalition partner. | A veteran of Greek Cypriot politics, he became president in 2003 but lost a bid for a second term in 2008. He was defeated by Demetris Christofias, a former coalition partner. |
| One of the former president's achievements was to oversee the Republic of Cyprus's entry into the European Union in 2004. | One of the former president's achievements was to oversee the Republic of Cyprus's entry into the European Union in 2004. |