The Central Committee of the Communist Party of Greece (KKE) will hold a commemorative event and pilgrimage this Saturday, October 11, on Gyaros Island — a place of exile and suffering for thousands of resistance fighters during and after the Greek Civil War.
Gyaros, often referred to as the “grave of the living” and “devil’s island,” served as a prison from 1947 to 1974 in three separate periods. Nearly 25,000 communists and resistance members were detained there under brutal conditions — facing hunger, forced labour, and relentless beatings aimed at forcing them to renounce their political beliefs.
The ceremony will take place at the “Rogmi” (“Fracture”) monument, erected by the KKE in 2019 and sculpted by Antonis Myrodias. The main address will be delivered by Fanis Parris, member of the KKE Central Committee, followed by guided tours of the prison buildings, nearby coves, and the historic cemetery.
Once again, the KKE honours those who endured torture and oppression with dignity, standing firm against persecution. The party also calls for Gyaros to be fully recognised and protected as a Site of Historical Memory, with restoration works to preserve its legacy and resist any commercial plans that might distort its symbolic identity.
