The International Court of Justice in The Hague rejected Italy’s demands for compensations to victims of World War II Nazi atrocitiesand ruled that Germany has legal immunity from being sued in foreign courts by the victims. The court ruling indirectly rejected also Greece’s positions on compensation for the Distomo massacre, where 218 men, women and children fell victim of the Nazi atrocities. Distomo plaintiffs had asked compensation of 28 million euro, a legal battle that had started in 1995.
A Greek court in Livadia had also ruled in favor of the Distomo plaintiffs. An Italian court had ruled that an Italian civilian, Luigi Ferrini, was entitled to reparations for his deportation to Germany in 1944 to work as slave laborer in the armaments industry.
The ICJ ruled that Italy’s Supreme Court violated Germany’s sovereignty in 2008 by judging the case of Ferrini.
World court upholds German immunity in Nazi cases
The United Nations’ highest court has confirmed that Germany has legal immunity from being sued in foreign courts by victims of World War II Nazi atrocities.
The International Court of Justice said in a ruling Friday that Italy’s Supreme Court violated Germany’s sovereignty in 2008 by judging that an Italian civilian, Luigi Ferrini, was entitled to reparations for his deportation to Germany in 1944 to work as slave laborer in the armaments industry.
Germany argued that the Italian ruling threw into doubt a restitution system put in place after the Nazis’ defeat that has seen Germany pay tens of billions of dollars in reparations since the 1950s.
The world court says that the Italian case violated Germany’s longstanding immunity from being sued in national courts. (Associated Press via SacBee)
Further reading on the legal battles and the Distomo massacre here
This is exactly why they are doing it economically this time and forcing the individual governments to do thier dirty work. Common sense tells you this. Look at the positions the Germans hold in every aspect of the European Union executive councils and influence they have over the various monetary institutions.Merkel even when too far when she wanted to setup shop right here in Greece and that her friend Sakozy even told her NO!!!!!!!!
This is why the UN is the worst bureaucracy in the world.
From what I understand the US is looking not to fund them as much anymore either.
My understanding of the issue is that when Greece and other countries accepted the terms of the US Marshall Plan which provide Greece much more than the paltry sum that the Germans owed, that future claims against Germany were not allowed. So, sometimes it’s not conspiracy theories but just black & white.
however even Greece claims some compensations demands for war damages (incl looting of state money and enforced ‘loan’ to Germany) are still valid. I ahve posted about it in the past. I don’t know how the ICJ ruling today will affect also these compensation claims.
Yes indeed, they are valid as what the Germans did in Greece were horrific. But, legally, I don’t think the Greeks have a leg to stand on unfortunately. Think of it this way, A Russian diplomat goes out and gets drunk in Athens, and runs over an elderly man and kills him. He should pay and go to jail and we all agree, but since he has Diplomatic immunity he won’t. It’s horrible but the law and that’s just the way it works.
So, best not to waste energy trying to grasp at straws that we’ll never reach and instead work towards making Greece a better place by working with the hand we’re dealt with.
Just my opinion of course…
even in cases of drinkplomats, their embassies can lift the immunity. (seen in Law and Order lol)
‘Germans lived because Greeks died’
Article by George Gilson with all the backgrounds and sums, all together 162 billion without interest:
http://www.athensnews.gr/issue/13434/38961