Italy has paid compensation to victims of Nazi war crimes for the first time, awarding $840,000 to the heirs of a man killed in a 1944 civilian massacre in Tuscany. The announcement was made on Wednesday (4) by the heirs’ lawyer and the Italian Treasury.
The historic decision, which comes after decades of legal battles, marks a significant change in the Italian government’s approach and could set a precedent for the families of other victims of Nazi and fascist crimes.
Metello Ricciarini was killed, along with 243 other people, in Civitella in Val di Chiana, about 220 kilometers north of Rome, on June 29, 1944, in a reprisal by German troops after the death of two soldiers in a shootout with Italian partisans, fighters who opposed the occupation.
“I express my satisfaction, that of my mother Metella and my relatives, who received the money from the Ministry of Economy last week,” said the family’s lawyer, Roberto Alboni, who is also the victim’s nephew, adding that it took two decades to obtain compensation.
In 1962, Germany paid Italy 40 million German marks, which is equivalent to just over a billion dollars in today’s dollars, to cover the damage caused by Nazi forces to the Italian state and its citizens during World War II.
That agreement left Italy responsible for paying any future compensation demands from victims, but no action was taken for decades.
Then-Prime Minister Mario Draghi created a fund of 61 million euros – the equivalent of just over 64 million dollars – in 2022 to cover the growing compensation demands of victims and their descendants, in an attempt to close a dark chapter in history of Italy.
“This is an important first result in the battle to raise awareness about reparations for the heirs of victims of Nazi and fascist crimes,” said Dario Parrini, senator from the center-left Democratic Party, who has been following the issue.
A study funded by the German government and published in 2016 estimated that 22,000 Italians were victims of Nazi war crimes, including up to 8,000 Jews deported to extermination camps. Thousands more Italians were forced to work as slaves in Germany.
This content was originally published in In a legal framework, Italy compensates victims of Nazi crimes on the CNN Brasil website.
Source: CNN Brasil
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