Iakovos Patatsos

He was born in Nicosia¹ on July 1, 1934.

He was hanged by the British in Nicosia Central Prison² on August 9, 1956.

Iakovos Patatsos finished the "Eleneio" primary school³ in Nicosia and was a graduate of the Samuel School. He worked as a clerk at the Paraskevaidis House. He was a member of the OHEN and joined the Struggle before 1955. With the beginning of the struggle, he was assigned to bomb-throwing groups and later to the Nicosia execution squad. However, due to his religious beliefs, he was concerned about taking part in executions.

His action in the struggle was associated with religion and he did everything he did because he believed that freedom was also a gift from God.

In January 1956, he collaborated with Stavros Stylianidis and other EOKA cadres in the construction and planting of a bomb on March 20, 1956 in the bed of Governor Harding.

On April 23, 1956, he undertook with his fellow fighter Georgios Paleologos the execution of a traitor police officer, against whom a previous unsuccessful attempt had been made. The attack took place outside the central police station of Seraglio, Nicosia. The attempt failed and Iakovos, who fell from his bicycle, found himself in the crosshairs of a Turkish special gendarmerie. A second Turkish policeman, Nihat Vasif, grabbed Iakovos, whereupon Paleologos fatally shot Nihat and freed him. However, the crowd of Turkish Cypriots who rushed to him immobilized him and arrested him. Paleologos fled to the guerrillas and Patatsos was accused of Nihat's execution and was led to the gallows.

During his few months on death row, he inspired the other convicts with his religious faith, creating an atmosphere of devotion and spiritual uplift. His deep religiosity is also reflected in his last letter to his mother in which he wrote: