The Greek state has taken possession of a collection of historic photographs showing heart-wrenching scenes from the mass execution of 200 Greek prisoners by Nazi occupation forces on May 1, 1944, at the Kaisariani shooting range, according to an announcement by the culture ministry on Saturday.

According to Culture Minister Lina Mendoni, ministry officials, with the assistance of staff-members of the Greek embassy in Belgium, took possession of 262 photographs, 16 documents and four occupation-era banknotes that a Belgian collector had put up for sale exactly two weeks ago in an online auction site.

“The ministry reacted with exceptional speed and successfully carried out a difficult task, which included documenting the authenticity of the collection, designating it as a (national cultural) monument, establishing its chain of possession, negotiating to ensure that it (collection) would not be split up and would be transferred, in its entirety, to the Greek state…” Mendoni said, adding:

“The photographs—testimonies to the ethos and patriotism of the executed Greeks in Kaisariani on May Day 1944—are now the property of the Greek state.”

The issue of acquiring the photographs and related archival material was deemed as imperative in Greece, following a public outcry against the auction of the highly sensitive images.

The monument to the executed men at the Kaisariani shooting range, in east Athens, in the modern day.