Tasoula of Crete: The famous kidnapping that imposed martial law on the island

“The united people of Heraklion in a universal rally formulated and authorized the National Resistance of Crete (as) the restoration of the honor and dignity of MP Petrakogiorgis, whose daughter was kidnapped by common criminals of Anogeia, violating the honor and dignity of the entire Prefecture of Heraklion. Please State (as) human support for this act”.

In the summer of 1950, and more specifically on August 20, 1950, Crete was threatened with bloodshed. Reason one…kidnapping.

Kostas, brother of the MP of the People’s Party Manolis Kefalogiannis, “steals” in Heraklion the beautiful Tasoula, daughter of the MP of the Liberals, Giorgis Petrakogiorgis, while she was leaving the “Oasis” cinema with her company, he grabbed her with five other gunmen and he transported her with a rented car and a driver to Psiloritis. Over a thousand armed men, followers of Petrakogiorgis, are preparing to attack an equal number of armed Anogeans, followers of Kefalogiannis, to take back Tasoula.

Civil war is visible. The kidnapper and Tasoula are hiding in the caves of Psiloritis while Prime Minister Sofocles Venizelos, in order to prevent bloodshed, declares Martial Law in Crete, imposes strict censorship on the press and suspends the validity of nine articles of the Constitution. Martial law was imposed in Crete and the kidnapper was declared a … “bandit”. Everything that was going to be published in the press was also censored.

Over two thousand gendarmes and soldiers combed Psiloritis to find Kostas and Tasoula, to no avail. “Modern Greece continues the tradition of the ancient… Those who are uncompromising in this matter – who also play a role in public life – should also take into account this side of the case – apart from the risk of causing civil strife in Crete”. (ETHNOS newspaper)

Sofocles Venizelos is trying to find a bloodless solution. Conditions are difficult and he is accused of not being able to manage the crisis that has broken out. There are issues that need to be resolved immediately, such as sending an expeditionary force to Korea and he is trying to find a solution in his meeting with Kostas Tsaldaris that will not create the terrible episodes that were foretold.

They even consider being best men at the couple’s wedding, but Venizelos does not agree because he knew that Petrakogiorgis, who was also in his parliamentary body, would not agree and might lead him to resign, which happened later.

“The arrest of Kefalogiannis was ordered – The armed forces will be disarmed”, writes “Eleftheria”.

“The campaign to discover the hideout of Kefalogiannis and Tasoula has begun,” reported ETHNOS.

Patrick Le Fermor sends letters to both Kefalogiannis and Petrakogiorgis in an attempt to appease the spirits. Even the Archbishop of Athens Spyridonas tried with his own letter to provide a solution.

After several days of pursuit, the couple of Koundokosta, as Kostas Kefalogiannis was known, and Tasoula get married in the monastery of Diskouri on the slopes of Psiloritis near Anogeia and Axos.

Michalis Hnaris is the best man who brings the wedding rings, borrowed from what they say, and the crowns. Things are escalating. Martial law is declared in Crete and suspension of 9 articles of the Constitution, censorship of the press and restriction of traffic in the village of Anogeia.

Kefalogiannis is denounced as a bandit and two battalions of the gendarmerie and the army are sent to Crete to settle in Psiloritis and declare the area a “Dead Zone”.

Under these circumstances and fearing the events, the couple surrenders themselves to the head of the gendarmerie.

This is followed by the transfer to Athens, the arrest of Kefalogiannis for carrying weapons, the trial that sentenced him to two years in prison, his transfer and incarceration in the prisons of Tiryns. They will break up 3 months after his release.

Everyone will make their own lives and they will never meet again! Two books were written about this much-lauded story. The abduction of Tassoula by Tassos Kontogiannidis and The Unforgivable Deep Waters by Rhea Galanakis. Most of the information is given by newspapers of the time and the above books.

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