At site where 112 resistance fighters were executed, the memory remains alive
The names of those executed on Lazaretto, engraved on the white crosses of the memorial. Photo: 902
CORFU. The two-day programme organised by the Lazaretto Association concluded on Sunday 25 October with a visit of remembrance and tribute. Relatives of those executed, representatives of local government and members of the public paid tribute to the victims of the executions carried out between 1946 and 1949.
Lazaretto is more than just a small islet opposite Corfu Town. It is a place where history still bears the scars of the bloodiest period of post-war Greece. On Sunday 25 October, relatives of the dead, representatives of organisations and members of the public returned to the site where 112 political prisoners were executed during the Greek Civil War. They did not come to recreate the past, but to remind us that historical memory cannot be confined to anniversaries.
The customary visit to the islet brought the two-day programme organised by the Lazaretto Association to a close, bringing both the history of those executed and the need to preserve and highlight the historical site back into focus.
From Quarantine Station to Execution Site
Lazaretto, opposite Corfu Town, has served different purposes throughout its long history. It was once a monastic settlement and later a quarantine station, from which it takes its name.
The darkest chapter in its history was written during the Greek Civil War. Political prisoners were transferred from Corfu Prison to the islet, where the executions took place.
The history of Lazaretto is inextricably linked to that of the prison, particularly the notorious Ninth Wing, where political prisoners were held. The transfer of condemned prisoners from the prison to the port, and from there to the islet, marked the final stage of their journey.
This year’s commemorative events began on Saturday 24 October, with wreath-laying ceremonies at the National Resistance Memorial, the memorial to the Corfiot Jews who were executed, and the memorial to Kostas Georgakis.
Sunday’s visit to the islet brought the programme to a close, renewing the call for Lazaretto to remain a place of historical remembrance, open to the community and to younger generations.
The ceremony took place just days before a separate event scheduled by the Corfu Prefectural Committee of the Communist Party of Greece (KKE) for Sunday 1 November.
GIORGOS KATSAITIS
