Perpetrators as Photographers

Reflections on the Thirteen Photographs of Kaisariani, University Seminar in Modern Greek.

In February 2026, thirteen photographs depicting the final moments of 200 Greek communists executed by a Nazi firing squad at the Kaisariani shooting range on May 1, 1944, were offered for sale on eBay by a private collector. Most likely taken by a German soldier, together with many other photographs documenting his time in occupied Greece, these images show the condemned men walking toward the firing range with their heads held high, gazing seemingly unafraid into the camera. Their extraordinary immediacy collapsed the distance between past and present, capturing public attention almost instantly. After several days of widespread outcry on social media, the Greek Ministry of Culture assembled a team of experts to assess the photographs’ authenticity and, ultimately, secure their acquisition. In this seminar, historian George Souvlis joins Hellenic Studies faculty to examine these extraordinary images, situate them within the broader context of the Second World War and the Nazi occupation of Greece, and reflect on what they reveal about perpetrator photography, historical evidence, and the politics of memory.

Seating is limited. Registration closes at NOON on Monday, November 2nd. If you do not have a Columbia ID, you will receive a QR code to access the campus.

More information can be found here.