Abstract
The fate of missing persons is a central issue in postconflict societies facing truth recovery and human rights dilemmas. Despite widespread public sym- pathy towards relatives, societies emerging from conflict often defer the recovery of missing for decades. More paradoxically, in post-1974 Cyprus, the official authorities delayed unilateral exhumations of victims buried within cemeteries in their own jurisdiction. Analysis of official post1974 discourses reveals a Greek-Cypriot consensus to emphasise the issue as one of Turkish aggression, thus downplaying in-group responsibilities and the legacy of intra-communal violence. We compare the experience of Cyprus with other postconflict societies such as Spain, Northern Ireland, and Mozambique and explore the linkages between institutions and beliefs about transi- tional justice. We argue that elite consensus initiates and facilitates the transition to democracy but often leads to the institutionalisation of groups opposing truth recovery even for in-group members.
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