Queen Elizabeth II and Cypriot fighters, Michalaki Karaolis, Andreas Dimitriou, Evagora Pallikaridis

Elizabeth II died peacefully at Balmoral castle in Scotland aged 96, the royal family said in a statement released on Thursday. Her eldest son, Charles III, will officially become King on Saturday.

At 32 years old, she refused the worldwide appeals to grant clemency to Cypriot teenagers who were fighting for the Freedom of their Homeland.

Michalakis Karaolis and Andreas Dimitriou were the first fighters of the Cyprus struggle sentenced to death and executed by the British.

On 10 May 1956, Michalakis Karaolis and Andreas Dimitriou were hanged in Nicosia’s Central Prisons with their plea to the Queen for the pardon unanswered despite world-wide resonance.

Their brave stance before their authorities and the fact of their killing provoked a global reaction and outrage.

To honor the two heroes, many roads in Greece and Cyprus bear their name.