On this day in 1943, the massacre of 27 Northern Epirus residents in Glyna

Northern Epirus: August 2, 1943: The Glyna Massacre (When the EAM collaborated with the Italian fascists and the Albanian nationalists to exterminate the lads of MAVI) – Testimonies of Giorgos Ghikas

One of the greatest crimes against the Greeks of Northern Epirus.

On this day in 1943: The Northern Epirus Congress of Memoracha

The ballistas, with the help of the Italian fascist occupiers, execute 27 men from the village.

The village had open tendencies against the communist groups of the time.

A veil of mystery still covers some aspects of the crime.

On this anniversary of such great importance, we should have public participation and it should be remembered not only on this day.

George Gikas remembers

In early August 1943, the German army was returning from an operation it had carried out in our lands. It was a Saturday and by Sunday afternoon they had returned to their bases. My villagers were happily threshing their wheat and in every threshing floor you could hear the happy voices of children and the songs of adults. Everyone was rejoicing over the new harvest.

Unfortunately, great evil awaited them. The people of Libochovino and Nepravisti, led by Nadzo Beleri and Fehmi Kula, were ready for evil against Glyna. They had decided to commit crimes against innocent people. Perhaps the alleged leader of the Chetka, who was operating in our country while his family was insured in Delvinaki, Greece, also helped in this crime.

In July, the leaders of the minority (ed. of the Albanian EAM) had held a large gathering in the wolf's den of Nepravista. They decided to strike at nationalism (ed. of the MABI lads). My villagers at that time refused to join the Albanian EAM, despite all the efforts of Lefteris Tallios, A. Lalai and others, and they believed that the time had come to win their freedom.

Οι μπαλίστες (Εθνικιστές Αλβανοί) ζήτησαν βοήθεια από τους Ιταλούς που έδρευαν στους Γεωργουτσάτες. Οι Ιταλοί έσπευσαν σε βοήθεια, στέλνοντας κατά της Γλύνας στρατό με όλα τα πολεμικά μέσα, οι οποίοι οχυρώθηκαν στους λόφους του χωριού.Οι μπαλίστες με επικεφαλής τον Νέτζο Μπελέρι, αφού εκτέλεσαν 13 παιδιά από το Λιμπόχοβο, ανάμεσα τους και τον παπά Αχιλλέα Γραμματικό, κίνησαν για τη Γλύνα.Τα παιδιά ήταν όλα των μανάδων από το χωριά μας, για τα οποία δεν έγραψε ποτέ κανένας για το βάρβαρο αυτό έγκλημα.

At dawn on August 2, 1943, they set off for Glyna, entered the village with great brutality, burning and looting all the houses in the village, gathered all the children, as many as they could, and some of them, out of fear, presented themselves. Their behavior was barbaric and vulgar. They cursed and beat them as if they were savages. They said: "If you see your ear, you will see Greece too."

They took us and directed us towards Limbokhovo, without knowing where they were going to take us. At Ai Nikolas in Vrahogorantzi they stopped us and kicked us and asked for our documents. I gave them a document that I had from the Serres school. Then someone shouted “Greko Greko”. I was an 18-year-old boy at the time. We did not know where they were taking us and what awaited us. We believed that they were taking us for interrogations and that we would quickly return because we were innocent. We never believed that they would execute us.

When they took us to the meleni pit For execution, we were shocked to see the machine guns set up and everyone Else armed. while they were cursing and preparing to shoot us, we turned our eyes to the sky and asked God For help. within a few minutes, everything was Over. everyone was dead except for Dosis Lekas, Iraklis Lekas and Christos Karadimas.

I was spared because Dilios Katsoukis, a merchant, was bringing merchandise to Tsomaiou to my uncle Vasilis Ghika, who gave him some gifts. That day, in order to spare his son-in-law's child and me, he asked for and received 50 gold and 150 paper Napoleons. At the last moment, he pulled me from the pile of unjustly killed and I returned to see my family and my village.

I have the impression that the crime was the result of the secret collaboration of the two Albanian parties with EAM-ELAS. I draw this conclusion because Isuf Tsobani knew about the crime and revealed it to Athina Ghika and even told her that he would kill her and her 6-year-old child.

While on August 5, 1943, the EAM called us to a gathering in the Pogoni Mountains (Greece). Two officers of the Panepirotiki Committee (Alekos Tsatis and Alexis Giannaris), not only did not feel hurt that we were crying, but they mocked us! May their memory be eternal. Thus, nationalism was defeated and the five communists prevailed in our 50 villages…

Georgios Gikas Eyewitness

PUBLIC STEP July 15 – August 1, 2008

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