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Witness History
The 'Cyprus Emergency'
Witness History
Mar 19, 2026

Between 1955 and 1959, a Greek-Cypriot paramilitary group called EOKA rebelled against British colonial rule in Cyprus. In response, the British authorities declared a state of emergency.

A young Cypriot lawyer named Renos Lyssiotis joined EOKA. He was interrogated and imprisoned by the British authorities for nearly two years. He looks back on the period with Ben Henderson.

Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive. Witness History is for those fascinated by and curious about the past. We take you to the events that have shaped our world through the eyes of the people who were there.

For nine minutes every day, we take you back in time and all over the world, to examine wars, coups, scientific discoveries, cultural moments and much more.

Recent episodes explore everything from how the Excel spreadsheet was developed, the creation of cartoon rabbit Miffy and how the sound barrier was broken.

We look at the lives of some of the most famous leaders, artists, scientists and personalities in history, including: the moment Reagan and Gorbachev met in Geneva, Haitian singer Emerante de Pradines’ life and Omar Sharif’s legendary movie entrance in Lawrence of Arabia.

You can learn all about fascinating and surprising stories, like the invention of a stent which has saved lives around the world; the birth of the G7; and the meeting of Maldives’ ministers underwater. We cover everything from World War Two and Cold War stories to Black History Month and our journeys into space.

(Photo: Camp Kokkinotrimithia in Cyprus where the British imprisoned suspected EOKA fighters, 1956. Credit: Jack Esten/Getty Images)

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Katie Harris hears from Imran Sumodhee, one of the L’Amicale Four.

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(Photo: President George W Bush and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on 2 March 2006. Credit: Jim Young via Reuters) Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive. Witness History is for those fascinated by and curious about the past. We take you to the events that have shaped our world through the eyes of the people who were there.

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11min 02sec

The 'Cyprus Emergency'

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