T.U.C. REPORT ON GREECE - ATROCITIES BY E.L.A.S. - NEWSREEL ONE
- 3 years ago
AT LEAST 10,000 MURDERED
CHARGES AGAINST O.P.L.A.
The report tells of horrible stories of the atrocities committed by a section of E.L.A.S. named O.P.L.A. The vast majority of people in Athens believed that the O.P.L.A. was a terrorist organization by whom many civilians, even though were not involved in the battle, were murdered. Direct evidence was given by the widows of certain trade unionists, who, it was alleged, had been executed by O.P.L.A. without trial, and it would be wrong to assume that all the executions followed the outbreak of the civil war. Some took place earlier. The delegation visited Peristeri, a suburb of Athens, and saw 250 bodies laid out for identification. There were still many trenches to be opened.
"There seems no reason to doubt (the report says) that practically all, if not the whole, of the dead, had been the victims of organized murder, all had been executed at close quarters. There was no sign that fighting had taken place, and many of the victims had their hands tied behind their backs with rope or electric wire. They made particular inquiries, and were assured on the highest authority that no British or Greek troops or National Guards were in the area at the time the executions had taken place. These bodies had been discovered only a few days before their arrival in Athens. The evidence of both British and Greek medical officers shows that death had taken place within a month prior to January 21, 1945.
"It was officially stated on January 31. 1945, that in certain areas up to that date 1050 bodies of men and 168 of women had been exhumed. These figures do not include the bodies of persons killed in the fighting or of about 800 taken to the mortuary. Most of the bodies we saw were barefooted and almost naked. We were informed by the Regent that as far as they could estimate, the number of persons murdered was at least 10.000."
CHARGES AGAINST O.P.L.A.
The report tells of horrible stories of the atrocities committed by a section of E.L.A.S. named O.P.L.A. The vast majority of people in Athens believed that the O.P.L.A. was a terrorist organization by whom many civilians, even though were not involved in the battle, were murdered. Direct evidence was given by the widows of certain trade unionists, who, it was alleged, had been executed by O.P.L.A. without trial, and it would be wrong to assume that all the executions followed the outbreak of the civil war. Some took place earlier. The delegation visited Peristeri, a suburb of Athens, and saw 250 bodies laid out for identification. There were still many trenches to be opened.
"There seems no reason to doubt (the report says) that practically all, if not the whole, of the dead, had been the victims of organized murder, all had been executed at close quarters. There was no sign that fighting had taken place, and many of the victims had their hands tied behind their backs with rope or electric wire. They made particular inquiries, and were assured on the highest authority that no British or Greek troops or National Guards were in the area at the time the executions had taken place. These bodies had been discovered only a few days before their arrival in Athens. The evidence of both British and Greek medical officers shows that death had taken place within a month prior to January 21, 1945.
"It was officially stated on January 31. 1945, that in certain areas up to that date 1050 bodies of men and 168 of women had been exhumed. These figures do not include the bodies of persons killed in the fighting or of about 800 taken to the mortuary. Most of the bodies we saw were barefooted and almost naked. We were informed by the Regent that as far as they could estimate, the number of persons murdered was at least 10.000."