Bust of Nikos Kapetanidis
Bust of Nikos Kapetanidis
In memory of the emblematic Pontic journalist
The bust of Pontic national martyr and journalist Nikos Kapetanidis has been placed in front of the offices of the Union of Daily Newspaper Journalists of Macedonia and Thrace, in Thessaloniki. The unveiling took place on September 21, 2024 — a date officially recognized as “Nikos Kapetanidis Memorial Day” by journalists’ unions across Greece.
Kapetanidis was born in Rizounta of Pontus and emerged as a prominent figure in the local press, publishing the newspaper Epochi. He was an outspoken advocate of the demotic (vernacular) Greek language and of educational independence from religious authority. In 1921, he was arrested and hanged by Kemalist forces in Amasya during the Genocide of the Pontic Greeks.
The bust is the work of sculptor Giorgos Kikotis and was commissioned by the “Nikos Kapetanidis” action society, with the support of benefactors and Pontic organizations. It honors the memory of a courageous defender of freedom and truth.
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