Germany to pay compensation in Italy for World War II massacre

ISTANBUL

A court in Italy has ruled that Germany must pay an additional €4 million ($4.2 million) in compensation to relatives of those killed in a Nazi massacre in the village of Pietransieri during World War II, bringing the total compensation amount to €15 million ($15.8 million).

An appeals court in L'Aquila, central Italy, made the ruling on Monday, accepting objections from individuals not included in previous compensation rulings related to the massacre, Rome-based ANSA reported.

The court ruled that Germany must pay compensation to 30 more individuals who lost relatives in the atrocity, thus increasing the amount of compensation.

The compensation will reportedly be covered by the portion of the European Union's post-COVID-19 recovery fund allocated for "Nazi crimes" and is expected to be paid to Italy by Germany in the coming months.

The massacre took place on Nov. 21, 1943 in the Limmari forest near Pietransieri, close to L'Aquila, central Italy

Nazi forces, suspecting the local population of supporting Italian resistance fighters, killed 128 unarmed civilians, including 60 women and 34 children under the age of 10, and numerous elderly individuals.