The group graves With the 33 skeletons of executed Communists, of the Civil War, found in Sykies, Thessaloniki, they attracted the interest of the International Associated Press, which in extensive reports unfold the dark pages of the Civil War.

The tombs, as the AP reports, came to the surface by chance as the workers placed benches in a park in Sykes. From then on, the excavations began to light some of the darkest pages of modern Greek history.

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“We found a lot of bullets in the heads, in the skulls,” said supervising engineer Haris Harismiadis at the agency. “It is common to find ancient ruins or objects in Greece. But the massive Castle of Yedi Kule was a prison where supporters of the Communists were tortured and executed during the civil war in Greece in 1946-49. Tens of thousands died in the battles of the Cold War Authorities between the west -backed government forces and the leftist rebels, a violent conflict with murder groups, kidnappings and mass displacements. “

Agapios Sahinis with a portrait of his uncle who was executed in the civil war in Thessaloniki. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)

“Politicians continue to use extremely cautious language when referring to the past and the discovery of Thessaloniki has been addressed with a restrained public reaction. The finding was not directly mentioned by the country’s center -right government – a reminder that many Greeks are still easier to find to overcome the country’s ghosts than to deal with them, “reports in the report.

Implementation

Axisive reads execution orders to 4 doomed young people from Peristeri to assist in communist uprising, conspiracy and murder. Greece, October 29, 1947, (photo AP, file)

DNA test

Municipal authorities are taking measures to conduct DNA tests in relics and encourage the families of the missing to submit genetic material. In this way, the bones will be identified and returned to relatives.

The Mayor of Sykes Simos Danilidis ordered the expansion of the excavation to other parts of the park in the coming weeks.

“We have to send a message,” he said. “Never again.”