Greece: Historical reflections on the death penalty

In observance of the World Day Against the Death Penalty, historical accounts highlight the practice of public executions in Greece. In July 1925, at Malakasa, Attica, thousands of spectators gathered to witness the execution of 24-year-old Tilemachos Basiakos, who had been convicted of the robbery and murder of merchant Panagiotis Moraitis.

The accounts describe a disturbing social phenomenon where crowds, including members of the elite, treated these executions as public spectacles. This tradition of using capital punishment for exemplary purposes had roots dating back to the era of King Otto, often involving gruesome methods such as throat-cutting introduced from France.