NEWS

German court rejects war compensation

Germany’s highest court yesterday rejected a claim for compensation by four Greek siblings whose parents were killed in a 1944 Nazi massacre on the grounds that the country is not obligated to pay damages to individuals. The Federal Constitutional Court upheld a 2003 ruling by a lower court that there was no legal basis for individual compensation from the German government under international law. Germany paid Greece 115 million marks (59 million euros) under a 1960 treaty covering Nazi-era war crimes but has refused to pay direct compensation to victims’ relatives. The plaintiffs’ parents were among more than 200 people killed in June 1944 in Distomo, near Delphi in central Greece, in retaliation for an attack by partisans.

Subscribe to our Newsletters

Enter your information below to receive our weekly newsletters with the latest insights, opinion pieces and current events straight to your inbox.

By signing up you are agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.