The European Court of Human Rights held an appeal hearing Wednesday into the case of nine Cyprus nationals who went missing in 1974 during Turkish military operations that separated the north of the island.

A Grand Chamber Hearing was held following Turkey`s appeal against a January ruling by the court which attacked Ankara for failing to conduct a proper, transparent enquiry and for `inhuman treatment` by officials of relatives seeking information on their loved ones` fates.

The Turkish government representative repeated its argument that the missing Cypriots were soldiers who died in combat, and suggested there was no need to investigate under such circumstances.

The lawyer for the relatives and friends said `we have irrefutable proof that they did not die in combat.`

Plaintiffs say the missing have been identified amid newspaper photographs of Greek-Cypriot prisoners of war published in the Greek press.

The body of the ninth missing man was also found in 2007 with a bullet in the head.

The case was first lodged with the European Commission of Human Rights in 1990.

A decision by the Grand Chamber is expected within the next few weeks.