The ICJ turned down Greece’s claim concerning Distomo reparations

The Hague-based International Court of Justice, the principal judicial organ of the United Nations (UN), rejected the Greek reparation claim for atrocities and crimes committed during WWII in Distomo, Greece. The decision of the Court was read by its president, Hishashi Owada, earlier on Friday afternoon.

By 12 votes to 3, 14 votes to 1, 14 votes to 1, 14 votes to 1 and unanimously, the Court overruled the Greek and Italian appeals, both asking for compensations from the Federal Republic of Germany for crimes during WWII. The Greek High Court had concluded that Germany owes 28 million euros to Greece, to the offspring of Distomo residents who were the victims of Nazi atrocities, a decision the Italian courts had accepted as enforceable, too.

Nevertheless, the ICJ ruled they were confronted with a case in which Italy - and indirectly, Greece too - “has violated its obligation to respect the immunity which the Federal Republic of Germany enjoys under international law by declaring enforceable in Italy the decisions of Greek courts based on violations of international humanitarian law, committed in Greece by the German Reich.”

The ICJ found that Italy “must enact appropriate legislation or by resorting to other methods of its choosing, ensure that the decisions of its courts and those of other judicial authorities, which infringe upon the immunity which the Federal Republic of Germany enjoys under international law, cease to be in effect” and “unanimously rejected all other submissions made by the Federal Republic of Germany.”

The court dispute that had gone on since 1995 was closed in an favorable way for Greece…