Northern Cyprus Lottery Image Blunder Commemorates ‘Wrong’ Side in Battle

Northern Cyprus Lottery Image Blunder Commemorates ‘Wrong’ Side in Battle.

Costfoto / NurPhoto / Getty Images

Key Takeaways

Lottery tickets are causing a political stink in the de facto state of . That’s after a batch designed to commemorate Turkish Cypriot resistance inadvertently depicted enemy Greek Cypriot fighters rejoicing with a captured Turkish flag.

Northern Cyprus LotteryThe fighters shown on the tickets are in fact Greek Nationalist paramilitaries celebrating after capturing a Turkish flag. (Image: Turkey Posts English)

In the words of Northern Cyprus President Ersin Tatar, it s “a huge and unforgiveable” blunder.

The Turkish Cypriot Lottery Administration is working to recall thousands of unsold tickets designed to celebrate the 58th anniversary of the Battle of Tylliria.

Known to Greeks as the Battle of Kokkina, the 1964 conflict saw a group of outnumbered Turkish Cypriot fighters hold out. The battle was against Greek Cypriot armed forces and members of the Greek Nationalist paramilitary organization EOKA.

The Turkish Air Force eventually relieved the besieged fighters, which bombed Greek Cypriot positions that had surrounded Turkish Cypriot enclaves.

A decade later, Turkey invaded the north of Cyprus and partitioned the island, a division that continues to this day.

‘Great Mistake’

The image printed on the tickets was intended to depict the besieged fighters, known as the Erenköy Mujahideen, who are heroes in the eyes of Turkish Cypriots.

But the figures in the image shown holding a Turkish flag are in fact EOKA fighters celebrating after capturing the flag from a Turkish Cypriot stronghold four months before the Battle of Tylliria.

It is a great mistake to use the photographs taken by Greek-Cypriot soldiers and EOKA members as Erenköy Mujahideen in the lottery tickets printed by the State Lottery Administration to commemorate the glorious Erenköy Resistance,” complained Tatar.

“This is never acceptable,” he continued. “No matter what, you cannot humiliate our mujahideen, the glorious Erenköy resistance, our national struggle, and our saintly martyrs. No one has the right.

Investigation Launched

Prime Minister Ünal Üstel said that an investigation had been launched into the incident and those responsible would be fired.

In an official statement, Osman Uzun, head of the lottery administration, asked for forgiveness.

We apologize to our people and our heroes of the Şanlı Erenköy Resistance for the image used as a result of an inadvertent mistake, he said.

But Turkish Cypriot newspaper Avrupa stoked the flames by accusing the lottery authority of deliberately doctoring the photo to obscure the image’s original location and context.

The draw, scheduled to take place on the August 8 anniversary of the battle, has been postponed for ten days. The jackpot has been raised from 500,000 to 1 million Turkish lira (US$56,000).

Article Sources
Super Bowl: Mattress Mack Bets $5M More on Bengals, Drake Drops Bitcoin on Rams editorial policy.
  1. Oklahoma City Gambling Raid Leads to Eight Arrests, Suspected Marijuana Seized

Compare Accounts
×
Fanatics Could Take Sports Bets by End of 2022, Says Founder
Provider
Name
Description
Eldorado Resorts Gets Pennsylvania Green Light For $17.3 Billion Caesars Takeover  Roundhill Investments Breaks New Ground With First Dedicated iGaming, Sports Betting Fund  Best Casinos Outside Las Vegas List Dominated by Native American Resorts  Oklahoma City Gambling Raid Leads to Eight Arrests, Suspected Marijuana Seized  Harrah’s Joliet Casino Staff Help Save Wounded Man  Pennsylvania Editorial Board Calls for Skill Gaming Ban, Cites Underage Gambling  Shania Twain Announces Third Las Vegas Residency  Oklahoma City Gambling Raid Leads to Eight Arrests, Suspected Marijuana Seized  Mark Wahlberg’s Latest Acting Role: Las Vegas Gym Operator  New Jersey’s Frank Pallone Petitions Trump Administration to Support PASPA Review