CIReN has reached out to the source of the photograph of a blindfolded person, presumed to be a Greek Cypriot prisoner of war (POW) from 1974, which has been circulating on social media recently.
As well as reigniting debate on the fate of thousands of missing persons from the war, the photograph also raised scepticism regarding its authenticity.
Turkish citizen Selim Esen, who, in 1974, was in Cyprus as a reporter for the Turkish Radio and Television Corporation (TRT), confirmed to CIReN that the photograph is authentic and the original version is in his possession.
The first version of the photograph was shared by researcher Odysseas Christou, who is the administrator of the “1974 Eyewitness Accounts and Evidence” Facebook group on May 4.
Shown in the picture are three men, with the blindfolded person presumed to be a POW standing in the middle with his hands behind his back. A civilian man standing to his right has his hand on the blindfolded man’s shoulder. To the blindfolded man’s left is an armed soldier. All three men are standing in front of a black Mercedes.
Initial checks carried out by CIReN using specialised AI detection tools were inconclusive, with several AI detectors flagging the photo as having been manipulated, but none suggesting that the photo had been created using AI.
As with previous pictures posted on the group by Christou from that period, the picture had been colourised and digitally enhanced, likely using AI, which would explain the detection of AI elements in the original picture.
In response to comments on social media from followers regarding the possibility that the picture was made with AI, Christou posted a second, black and white version of the same photograph, as shown below, showing more people and background than the one originally posted, which was apparently cropped.
In his response, Christou claimed to know for certain that “the picture was taken by a member of the television crew of the Turkish Radio and Television Corporation (TRT), led by journalist Selim Esen.”
In order to verify Christou’s claim, CIReN contacted Esen.
The former TRT reporter, who is now 83 years old, told CIReN that “the [person] on the right in civilian clothes is me.”
“The civilian next to the blindfolded person on the left, as far as I remember, is a member of the TMT (Turkish Resistance Organization). The photo was taken in Mia Milia on 14 August 1974, the day the second operation began, by my cameraman friend Vedat Gures or Sonat Konor, who came to Cyprus with me. I was a TV news reporter for the TRT News Center,” Esen added.
According to the figures of the Committee of Missing Persons in Cyprus, a total of 2002 Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots went missing in the period 1963 and 1974. More than half are still missing.