Distomo massacre
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The Distomo massacre (Greek: Η σφαγή τού Διστόμου; German: Massaker von Distomo or Distomo-Massaker) was a Nazi war crime perpetrated by members of the Waffen-SS in the village of Distomo, Greece, during the Axis occupation of Greece during World War II.
On June 10, 1944, over two hours, Waffen-SS troops of the 4th SS Polizei Panzergrenadier Division went door to door and massacred Greek civilians, reportedly in revenge for a partisan attack. A total of 218 men, women and children were killed.[1] According to survivors, SS forces "bayoneted babies in their cribs, stabbed pregnant women, and beheaded the village priest."[2]
In the 1960s, the government of West Germany paid Greece 115 million marks in restitution. Later four relatives of victims made claims for individual compensation and sued in the German courts and the European Court of Human Rights, which could have made Germany liable for several billion dollars in reparations. The claims were denied by the European Court of Human Rights and by German lower courts and in June 2003 were rejected by the Federal Court of Justice.[3][4]
- See also: Massacre of Kalavryta
[edit] Notes
- ^ "Greeks lose Nazi massacre claim." 26 June 2003 BBC. [1]
- ^ "Greeks lose Nazi massacre claim," BBC.
- ^ "Greeks lose Nazi massacre claim," BBC.
- ^ "German Supreme Court: Distomo Massacre Case, BGH - III ZR 245/98 (June 26, 2003)." International Law In Brief, American Society of International Law. 25 July 2003. [2]
[edit] External links
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