The relatives of the 121 victims of the plane crash of 14 August 2005 do not wish vindication of the guilty party over time but want to drive those responsible to justice.
President of the Committee of the Relatives of Victims Nicolas Yiasoumis has told reporters at Larnaca Airport, before departing for Greece for a memorial of those who lost their lives in the crash, that those responsible had to be punished before the souls of the dead could rest.
Replying to questions, Yiasoumis said the legal aspect of bringing those responsible to justice was causing concern and that these concerns have been confirmed.
He said there relatives did not want those responsible to be vindicated over time, adding that time has retracted testimonies.
Yiasoumis expressed hope that ”in this case we will not pay the price of impunity through time.”
”Two years since that tragic day, justice has still not been given and we request justice as the least homage for the 121 murdered on that day,” Yiasoumis said.
The delegation that flew to Athens for the memorial comprises about 120 relatives of those killed. The relatives were joined in Greece by Greek relatives, as well as Cypriot relatives living in Athens.
The memorial was attended by a representative of the Cypriot embassy, on behalf of the Republic of Cyprus.
It was held at Grammatiko village, situated near the place of the crash, and then the relatives attended a trisagion (brief prayer) at the exact spot where the Helios Boeing came down.
Meanwhile, a memorial service was held in the village of Mosphiloti in Cyprus, attended by other relatives of those killed in the crash.
On 14 August 2005, an Helios Airways Boeing 737, on its way to Prague via Athens, crashed into the mountain side north of the Greek capital, killing all 121 passengers and crew on board, most of them Cypriot holidaymakers.
Two commissions of inquiry into the cause of the crash have issued their reports – one in Greece which was made public and one in Cyprus whose findings are with the Attorney General. No charges have been brought against anybody so far. Relatives of the victims have however filed lawsuits against Helios, Boeing and the Civil Aviation Authority of the Republic of Cyprus.
