Greece is preparing to submit an application to UNESCO to recognize the uninhabited island of Makronisos near Athens; an island where tens of thousands of political prisoners were once held, as a World Heritage Site.
The island is located near the southernmost tip of the Attica Region peninsula, facing the port of Lavrio.
Makronisos; although currently uninhabited, was once used as a prison island during the Greek civil war years; 1946-1949, and again by the military junta that ruled Greece between 1967-1973.
The Ministry of Culture’s proclamation of Makronisos as a historical landmark, was the first step in the process of rescuing a site which has been connected to a long-silenced piece of modern Greek history.
The second step; according to a Athens News Agency report, is the creation of a Commission made up of various institutions, former prisoners and scientists, to prepare and submit the candidacy to UNESCO.
The Greek government argues that inducting Makronisos into UNESCO will help in “preserving the island of exile and its remaining ruins as symbols of the struggle against fascism, and of the human spirits and democracy’s triumph against oppression and dehumanization,” a press release reads.
The initiative belongs to Speaker of the House, Nikos Voutsis, as well as a team of SYRIZA lawmakers.
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Source: greekreporter.com
