Greek authorities are working to obtain a set of photographs believed to show the execution of 200 Greek resistance fighters by Nazi forces in Athens during World War II, after the images surfaced for sale on eBay.
The pictures, reportedly taken on May 1, 1944, at the Kaisariani shooting range, appear to document the final moments before a German firing squad killed the prisoners. They supposedly show the group being escorted through a gate, marched along a path and positioned against a wall before being shot.
While the massacre has long been recognized as one of the most infamous atrocities of the Nazi occupation of Greece, no photographic record had previously been known.
The images were listed by a Belgian collector specializing in German military artifacts. On Feb. 16, Greece’s Ministry of Culture signaled its intention to pursue the acquisition for the country’s national archive.
Officials cautioned about legal complications involved in asserting rights over the material. Experts are in contact with the seller and plan to travel to Ghent to examine “the authenticity and legality” of the photos, according to the ministry.
A government committee is expected to review whether the images should be formally designated as protected cultural heritage.
