Nicosia: Funeral of Founding AKEL Member Andreas Fantis

The memorial service of Andreas Fantis, one of the founding members of communist party AKEL and workers’ union PEO, a Member of the Cypriot Parliament from 1970 till 1991, was held yesterday in Cyprus. He passed away on the 5^th of March at almost 93 years old.

Andreas Fantis had been gathering documents for a new book he was working on, centered on the dissension, the risk of killing one another and the devastating consequences related to the Cypriot national liberation issue.

The deceased left us with a significant writing legacy, that deciphers crucial times of Cypriot history and composes an original documentation of events that defined the national history.

Present at the service were the deceased’s family, the President of the Republic of Cyprus, Dimitris Christofias, ministers, AKEL’s general secretary, Andros Kyprianou, party and union representatives, relatives, friends, and people who simply valued the great political offer of A. Fantis.

A memorial speech was given by the President of the Cypriot Parliament, Giannakis Omiroy, who named A. Fantis enemy of social injustice and social indifference, but also a promulgator of democracy and freedom. “He was that kind of person who –loyal to values and visions- would not succumb to special interests and conventionalities. He was that kind of person who seems to be rarer and rarer nowadays, in the ethical, cultural and identity crisis that has hit Cypriot society,” he commented.

The former president of the Union of Cyprus Journalists and Fantis’s friend of over sixty years, pointed out that the unforgettable A. Fantis – having served 13 years as chief editor of the newspaper “Charavgi” – honored the journalistic profession with respect, quality and responsibility.  He also referred to the deceased’s political objectivity on matters related to the prosperity and progress of Cyprus.

(Source: ana-mpa)