Strong reactions have erupted in Greece following the discovery of rare photographs depicting the Nazi execution of approximately 200 Greek resistance fighters in Kaisariani on May 1, 1944. The previously unseen images appeared for sale on eBay on February 14 before being withdrawn after public outrage.
The photographs show condemned prisoners walking toward the firing squad with their heads held high, while some images reveal their faces before and after the execution. Historians note that these may be the first photographic records of the massacre.
The executions were carried out as reprisals after an April 27, 1944 attack by the Greek People’s Liberation Army (ELAS) on a German convoy. Many of those executed were political prisoners arrested under the Metaxas regime and later handed over to Axis authorities.
Greek authorities have moved to reclaim the photographs, declaring them part of the nation’s cultural heritage. Historians emphasize that the images restore dignity to the victims and constitute crucial evidence of Nazi violence.
