€1m approved for missing person DNA identification

A €1 million fund has been approved for specialised genetic testing to help identify remains of missing persons, the office of the presidential commissioner said on Thursday.

Officials said the new technology will strengthen existing procedures and increase the chances of identifying remains that have so far resisted scientific analysis.

The decision was taken by the cabinet on April 21.

The funding will support the use of massive parallel sequencing, a modern DNA analysis method, to examine remains that could not previously be identified due to exposure to chemical substances or severe degradation.

Officials said the process will be carried out through the Cyprus Institute of Neurology and Genetics and is expected to begin in May.

Authorities said the aim is to improve the identification of remains of missing persons and provide answers to families who have waited for decades.

The announcement described the initiative as an important step in the ongoing humanitarian effort to locate and identify missing and fallen individuals.

It said the funding was secured through the initiative of presidential commissioner Marios Hartsiotis, with the support of President Nikos Christodoulides.

The government stressed that the issue of missing persons is primarily humanitarian and said it remains committed to intensifying efforts until all possible identifications are completed.