Lecture on Political Refugees of the Democratic Army of Greece through the Tashkent Archives at the 2nd Spring Cultural Festival of HMU
As part of the 2nd Spring Cultural Festival of the Hellenic Mediterranean University (HMU), titled “Return”, a lecture by Dr. Nikos Dallas will take place on Monday, 23 March 2026, at 19:00, at the Heraklion Municipal Art Gallery, entitled:
“What Do the Tashkent Archives Tell Us About the Democratic Army of Greece (DSE)?”
The lecture serves as the introduction to the photographic exhibition titled “The Greek Miracle in Tashkent”, which will be hosted in the same venue from 20 to 30 April. The exhibition is a historical tribute to the lesser-known chapter of the Greek diaspora in Central Asia, based on material from the archive of the Hellenic Cultural Centre of Tashkent. The lecture will be introduced by the Rector of the Hellenic Mediterranean University, Professor Nikos Katsarakis.
Following the defeat of the Democratic Army of Greece (DSE) in Grammos in August 1949, approximately 100,000 people became political refugees in the People’s Democracies of Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union. Among them, around 12,000 fighters of the DSE — some originating from Crete — were settled in Tashkent, the capital of Soviet Uzbekistan.
Dr. Nikos Dallas, one of the first researchers to study the archives of the Greek Community of Tashkent, presents evidence from the censuses of the first years of political exile. His research reveals a precise and detailed picture of the people who formed the Democratic Army of Greece, shedding light on previously unknown aspects of their history through primary archival material.
Admission is free to the public.
