82 Years After Mass Execution, Photos Surface on eBay
Two red roses are placed on the execution wall at the Kaisariani Shooting Range in the Kaisariani suburb of Athens, Monday, Feb. 16, 2026, where 200 Greek communist political prisoners were executed by Nazi forces on May 1, 1944. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
Greece said Monday it is seeking to acquire a set of photographs that may capture the final moments of 200 Greek prisoners executed by a Nazi firing squad in Athens during World War II. The images—previously unknown to historians—surfaced over the weekend on the online marketplace eBay.
According to reports, the photos appear to show the men being led to their deaths on May 1, 1944, at a shooting range in the Kaisariani district of the Greek capital Athens. While the mass execution has long been documented, no photographic or film record of the event had been known to exist.
Greece’s Culture Ministry said it is “very possible that these are authentic photographs” and intends to secure them as part of the country’s historical archives. The pictures were listed for sale Saturday by a Belgian collector of German military memorabilia. In the sequence, prisoners are seen being escorted through a gate and along a path, standing upright as they are positioned in front of a wall.
The Kaisariani execution of 200 communist political prisoners is regarded as one of the most severe atrocities committed during the Nazi occupation of Greece and remains a defining moment in the nation’s wartime history. After World War II, Greece descended into a bitter civil war between Western-backed government forces and communist fighters that lasted until 1949, leaving divisions that still resonate.
Shortly after news of the photos’ sale emerged, a memorial at the Kaisariani site was vandalized, with name plaques smashed. In a statement, the local municipality said the monument would be restored, declaring that “historical memory will not be erased.” It added that the images had stirred deep emotion over “the heroic, valiant stance of the 200 communist heroes who stood up against the firing squad.”
The Culture Ministry acknowledged there are “significant legal complications” in asserting ownership of the photographs. Officials are already in contact with the seller and plan to travel to Ghent in Belgium to assess both the images’ authenticity and their legal provenance.
A ministry committee is scheduled to meet Wednesday to consider classifying the photographs as part of Greece’s cultural heritage. If they are confirmed authentic and legally obtained, the ministry said it will move immediately to acquire them through appropriate legal channels.
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