Savvas Rotsidis: Hero of the Cypriot-EOKA struggle against British colonial rule

Savvas Rotsidis (1935 – November 25, 1958) was born in the village of Mammari, located west of Nicosia, Cyprus.

He was a dedicated member of EOKA (Ethniki Organosis Kyprion Agoniston), a Greek-Cypriot nationalist group that led an armed struggle against British colonial rule in Cyprus and sought to unite the island with Greece (Enosis).

Rotsidis was an accountant by profession, but in 1955, at the outset of the EOKA campaign, he joined the resistance movement, driven by his commitment to Cyprus’s liberation. Rotsidis was involved in numerous operations against British military and police forces, targeting key installations and personnel. As part of his role, he carried out sabotage activities and attacks designed to disrupt the British administration.

In 1958, he was captured by the British authorities during a raid. He was subjected to brutal interrogation and torture in an attempt to extract information about EOKA’s operations. Despite the severity of his treatment, Rotsidis did not betray his comrades. On November 25, 1958, he was executed by the British, becoming one of the many martyrs in the fight for Cyprus’s independence.

Rotsidis’s sacrifice is remembered as part of the larger struggle that led to Cyprus’s eventual independence from British rule in 1960. His legacy symbolises resistance, patriotism, and the desire for self-determination.

He managed to talk the British into releasing him on the condition that he lead them to various EOKA hideouts.

Rotsidis led them into the Troodos Mountains area and rough terrain, where he managed to escape the British and continued the struggle.

On November 25, 1958, he was captured and murdered in an ambush by the British colonial occupiers.

He was the last member of EOKA to be killed by the British.

READ MORE: How EOKA was established.