Nikos Sampson

Nikos Sampson (Greek: Νίκος Σαμψών; born Nikolaos (Nikos) Georgiadis, Νίκολαος (Νίκος) Γεωργιάδης; 16 December 1935 – 9 May 2001) was a Greek-Cypriot journalist, militant and politician, who was installed as acting President of Cyprus during the 1974 coup. A former journalist and EOKA militant pardoned under the London and Zürich Agreements, Sampson was first elected Member of the House of Representatives in 1960 on a platform of Enosis (unification with Greece). As a prominent supporter of the 1974 coup, he was installed by its leaders as the island’s President. However, the Turkish invasion of Cyprus forced him to step down eight days later. Following the return of the legitimate government to power, Turkish troops refused to leave, causing the division of Cyprus. Sampson was sentenced to twenty years in prison for his role as the political leader of the coup (although for 13 years of the sentence he was granted medical leave). Convicted specifically of abuse of power, he is the only person to have been held criminally liable for the events. Following his release in the mid-1990s, Sampson returned to the media industry.