Corpse of former President of Cyprus Tassos Papadopoulos stolen

December 11, 2009

The corpse of former Cypriot President Tassos Papadopoulos has been stolen by grave robbers. Officials report that his body was taken overnight from the Deftera Cemetery in Nicosia. The theft was reported one day before the anniversary of his death. Police reported that fresh mounds of dirt were piled up beside the grave. The motive is still unclear.

The leader of the Diko party, Papadopoulos’s former alliance, released a statement. Marios Garoyan called the act a "heinous and terrible crime".

A heavy smoker, Papadopoulos died on the 12th of December, 2008 after a battle with lung cancer. He was the President of Cyprus from the 23rd of February, 2003 until 23 February 2008.