By Nikos Mottas
Two mass graves containing the remains of executed communists from the 1946-49 Civil War have been discovered in Thessaloniki, Greece’s second largest city.
The graves were uncovered during redevelopment work close to the national resistance memorial, thus increasing the total of such sites in the area to six. The location of the graves indicates that it was likely used for the execution of political prisoners due to its proximity to the notorious Yedi Kule prison.
At least 22 skeletons have been unearthed so far, one of which is believed to belong to a female, as traces of a woman’s shoe were found. Additionally, four or five skeletons appear to belong to individuals around 20 years old. According to "Rizospastis", organ of the CC of the Communist Party of Greece (KKE), Yedi Kule (Ottoman Turkish name of Thessaloniki's Byzantine fortress) and its surroundings were a place of martyrdom for thousands of political prisoners, communist militants, cadres and members of the KKE during the Civil War, as well as in the 1950s. Inside Yedi Kule prison, thousands were imprisoned and tortured, while hundreds were executed in the surrounding area from 1946 to 1955.
At the initiative of the KKE, an effort has already begun to locate relatives of executed activists in the area, in order to demand the implementation of the process of identifying the skeletons by examining the DNA of their relatives. While in the near future, the martyrdom list of the names of the approximately 400 executed, which has been gathered through many years of collective effort by the Party, will be made public, so that their descendants can communicate.
At the initiative of the KKE, an effort has already begun to locate relatives of executed activists in the area, in order to demand the implementation of the process of identifying the skeletons by examining the DNA of their relatives. While in the near future, the martyrdom list of the names of the approximately 400 executed, which has been gathered through many years of collective effort by the Party, will be made public, so that their descendants can communicate.
Historical background
Yedi Kule, known today as Heptapyrgion, served as a penitentiary for political and criminal prisoners, men and women. Thousands of political prisoners, militants, members and cadres of the Communist Party were imprisoned there, during the periods of Metaxas' dictatorship (1936-'40), the German Occupation (1941-'44), the Civil War and in the following years until the period of the Colonels' Junta (1967-1974).
The first executions of militants in the area took place after the entry of Nazi forces into the city of Thessaloniki, on April 9, 1941, and reached a peak during the 1946-1954 period, when hundreds of political prisoners were summarily sentenced to death by the Extraordinary Military Tribunal of Thessaloniki and executed.
According to data presented at a major local event of the KKE in April 2018, the total number of defendants brought to the Extraordinary Military Tribunal of Thessaloniki exceeds 10,000, while 1,679 of them were convicted. A total of 4,452 trials were held, with 477 death sentences, 307 life sentences. Even minor students were sentenced to death. Over 400 fighters were executed behind the Yedi Kule, some of whom had also been tried in other courts, in other cities.
The first executions of militants in the area took place after the entry of Nazi forces into the city of Thessaloniki, on April 9, 1941, and reached a peak during the 1946-1954 period, when hundreds of political prisoners were summarily sentenced to death by the Extraordinary Military Tribunal of Thessaloniki and executed.
According to data presented at a major local event of the KKE in April 2018, the total number of defendants brought to the Extraordinary Military Tribunal of Thessaloniki exceeds 10,000, while 1,679 of them were convicted. A total of 4,452 trials were held, with 477 death sentences, 307 life sentences. Even minor students were sentenced to death. Over 400 fighters were executed behind the Yedi Kule, some of whom had also been tried in other courts, in other cities.
Nikos Mottas is the Editor-in-Chief of In Defense of Communism.
