In Thessaloniki, near the infamous Eptapyrgio prison, construction efforts have revealed the remains of dozens of individuals executed during Greece’s Civil War period, according to relatives and officials on Wednesday.
Among the haunting discoveries were footwear pieces, including remnants of a woman’s shoe.
According to a statement from city officials, 33 skeletons have been unearthed near the prison, a site northeast of the city that once served as a Byzantine fortress and later became known as Yedi Kule under Ottoman control.
The Greek Civil War, spanning 1946 to 1949, claimed over 150,000 lives and displaced roughly 800,000 people. Even after the war’s end, executions of political prisoners—many accused of ties to the Greek Communist Party (KKE)—persisted. Among the conflict’s notable victims was CBS News journalist George Polk, who had exposed corruption in the right-wing Greek government before his death.
Simos Daniilidis, mayor of Sykies municipality, expressed the bittersweet nature of the find: “We are here today with very mixed feelings. We are happy because, even after 80 years, we found the skeletons of people who died for their beliefs and their country.” Yet, he added, “We are saddened, embittered, and angry” over the “inhumane, horrific” acts that defy modern Greek values.
Officials suspect one victim was a woman, based on the discovery of a woman’s shoe, alongside footwear linked to young adults. The initial remains surfaced in December during park construction. Though first deemed archaeologically insignificant, Daniilidis pushed for broader excavations, citing their immense historical and political weight.
Sykies municipality noted, “In the dark years of the civil war, this area—close to the prison and then uninhabited—was used for executing political prisoners or disposing of their bodies.” Many victims were likely targeted for KKE affiliations, and on Wednesday, a party delegation laid flowers at the site.
The excavation, aided by archaeologists, has yielded clothing, jewelry, and bullets alongside the remains. Archaeologist Stavroula Tsevrini explained, “Thirty-three skeletons were found in four clusters. They’re fragile, poorly preserved due to soil conditions.” The findings are now with police, who have launched DNA testing to identify the deceased. The municipality is urging relatives of civil war victims to assist in this effort while the KKE is assembling a list of executed prisoners for release.
Journalist Spyros Kouzinopoulos, author of a book based on police archives, stated, “Around 400 political prisoners from Yedi Kule were executed in this region during the civil war. They were buried in mass graves, their locations hidden from families. This area is filled with remains.”
Miltiadis Parathyras shared a personal connection: “My uncle Rigas, a captain in the Democratic Army, was arrested in 1949, imprisoned for two years, and executed at 24 in March 1951 with five others. We still don’t know where his body lies.”
The city vowed to continue searching for additional mass graves, ensuring that all victims of this grim chapter, denied traditional honors in death, are found.