Alex Efthyvoulou, a veteran foreign correspondent who worked throughout most of his career for the Associated Press, died on Monday. He was 97.
After graduating from the English School in Nicosia and serving in the Cyprus Regiment during World War II, Alex ‘Efty’ Efthyvoulou’s journalistic career saw him cover the most important events in the recent history of Cyprus, from the 1950s to his retirement five decades later.
He was a roving reporter initially for major Fleet Street newspapers and later for the international news agency, often at the front line of breaking news events in the Middle East, such as the 1975 civil war in Lebanon and the Iran-Iraq war.
He joined the AP in 1955 and on March 3, 1957, reported on the Battle of Machairas, where EOKA leader Gregoris Afxentiou was killed. He delivered eye witness accounts during the struggle for independence and the establishment of the Republic of Cyprus in 1960, the inter-communal troubles in 1963, the efforts by EOKA-B to overthrow President Makarios and the Turkish invasion and occupation in 1974.
Not shy of expressing his own opinion, Alex was a frequent guest reporting on major developments for international radio stations, and featured regularly on Cyprus state broadcaster CyBC, analysing and commenting on Middle East and eastern Mediterranean conflicts.
On several visits to northern Syria and Iraq, he gained the trust of Kurdish leader Masoud Barzani, whom he interviewed several times.
However, Alex was also regarded as one of the first environmentalists in Cyprus, often campaigning to clean up abandoned and dirty areas, arguing to shut down toxic and hazardous factories, while criticising public eyesores, such as overdevelopment in historic centres of towns and opposed the rapid construction of high-rises.
He was a co-founder of the Cyprus Weekly in 1979 with fellow journalists Georges der Parthogh and Andreas Hadjipapas, which was sold to the Phileftheros Group in 2008 after which the print edition, regarded as a benchmark for quality journalism on the island, was subsequently closed down.
Alex was also an ardent human rights activist, writing and sometimes demonstrating in support of local and international causes, such as the Palestinian people.
He was a founding member of the Cyprus Union of Journalists, served on the CUJ board for a term and was honoured by the trade union in 2015 for his contribution to journalism.
In a statement, President Nikos Christodoulides described Alex Efthyvoulou as a “pioneering journalist” who reported on events that marked the modern history of Cyprus and neighbouring countries.
Due to his frequent international travels, raising the family was burdened on the shoulders of his beloved wife, Mary. Alex is survived by two sons, Alexis and Demetris.
His funeral will take place at Constantinou and Eleni church at 10.30am on Friday, January 3, 2025, with the eulogy delivered by CUJ president Yiorgos Frangos.
