Italian Court Upholds Compensation For Nazi Victims
Italy's highest court has published its written judgment ordering Germany to pay compensation to the families of Italian World War Two victims of Nazi war crimes. The Supreme Court of Cassation in Rome made its ruling last October.
But Germany last month instituted proceedings against Italy at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague, claiming Italy was failing to respect its jurisdictional immunity as a sovereign state.
German authorities have expressed concern that if the Italian ruling is allowed to stand, it may open a Pandora's Box with "hundreds" of similar individual cases seeking compensation from Berlin likely to be filed around Europe.
The German government has stated that seeking compensation for World War Two crimes was "morally understandable, but it is, in judicial terms, the wrong way to address this injustice, and so this ruling is not acceptable for us."
Germany said financial compensation claims were closed under a 1961 treaty between the two countries, under which the German government paid millions of dollars in compensation. However, the Court of Cassation has ruled that no exemption treaty with Germany can block the damages.
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But Germany last month instituted proceedings against Italy at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague, claiming Italy was failing to respect its jurisdictional immunity as a sovereign state.
German authorities have expressed concern that if the Italian ruling is allowed to stand, it may open a Pandora's Box with "hundreds" of similar individual cases seeking compensation from Berlin likely to be filed around Europe.
The German government has stated that seeking compensation for World War Two crimes was "morally understandable, but it is, in judicial terms, the wrong way to address this injustice, and so this ruling is not acceptable for us."
Germany said financial compensation claims were closed under a 1961 treaty between the two countries, under which the German government paid millions of dollars in compensation. However, the Court of Cassation has ruled that no exemption treaty with Germany can block the damages.