distomo massacre
distomo massacre memorial is located in distomo. for distomo massacre memorial and beyond, use our distomo planner to get the most from your distomo vacation .
german troops in front of buildings set ablaze in distomo, during the massacre .
like other nazi atrocities in greece, the massacre of distomo is considered a legal dead end .
he said that successive greek governments have used the distomo massacre as a political tool to little avail .
mr sfountouris was just four years old when his parents were murdered in the massacre in distomo in 1944 .
mark mazower’s book “inside hitler’s greece” carried extensive testimony and first hand accounts from the massacre and is one of the best contemporary re - tellings of the massacre .
german supreme court: distomo massacre case, bgh - iii zr 245 / 98 (june 26, 2003) .
international law in brief ,
he was ten at the time of the massacre. his mother, frances, 42, was killed by machine - gun fire on the outskirts of distomo .
also overwhelming are the names and ages of the victims from the massacre in alphabetical order .
the massacre is described in peter nestler' s experimental documentary von griechenland (1966) .
revenge: women standing in the graveyard of distomo, greece, where victims of a 1944 nazi massacre are buried. the attack was punishment for an attack by partisans
today marks the seventieth anniversary of the distomo massacre, a nazi war crime perpetrated by members of the waffen - ss in the village of distomo, in voiotia central greece, during the axis occupation of the country in world war ii .
the massacre became known to the international community through a bbc broadcast, while a representative of the international red cross, george wehrly, who visited to distomo a few days after the massacre mentioned that in the wider area the occupying forces massacred as many as 600 people in total .
argyris has attained one goal at least: the distomo massacre has reached wide public attention and has found a response he would never have believed possible. even the federal constitutional court in karlruhe stated that the distomo massacre was one of the most abominable war crimes. over the years, countless personal friendships have formed with people from the distomo working group in hamburg, where argyris also found his german lawyer martin klingner, who represents him in court .
a quarter of distomo’s population died – 218 people including infants and pregnant women who were disemboweled, says the town’s deputy mayor loukas zissis, who lost his grandfather and uncle in the massacre .
distomo is currently a nice village but is best known for the massacre of 214 men, women and children by the ss in 1944. incredible that people can be blinded to commit such attrocities .
not many have heard about this massacre of 218 villagers in 1944 but please pay your respects if ...
email “recalling a nazi massacre:' a burly german soldier killed my little brother and two women' ” .
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 .
john sfountouris lost his mother and several other family members in the attack at distomo. he says germany should pay greece reparations to compensate for the nazi massacre in the village. (pascal leblond / cbc news )
nitsa nikolaou - sfountouri holds a composite photograph showing some of her family members who were killed during the nazi massacre in the greek village of distomo during the second world war. (ellen mauro / cbc news )
feedback on “recalling a nazi massacre:' a burly german soldier killed my little brother and two women' ” .
the europeans are difficult, but i don' t accept that we don' t belong with them ,
says pandiskas, whose great aunt maria is the woman pictured in the distomo mother. he says he grew up hearing gruesome stories of the distomo massacre but that he doesn' t hate germans .
ein lied für argyris (a song for argyris). a documentary with argyris sfountouris, a survivor of the massacre .
another of distomo' s orphans, john sfountouris (no relation to argyris), grizzled with age, sings a song about the women of distomo who wear black, too young to wear mourning .
attack upon the unit. a total of 214 men, women and children were killed in distomo ,
athens (ana) – german citizens of kassel welcomed the presidents of greece and germany holding placards reading in greek “distomo massacre: never again” referring to the number of 218 people executed by the german troops in order to honor the memory of the victims of distomo masscare. the two presidents of greece and germany signed on the placards .
a song for argyris is a 2006 documentary film that details the life story of argyris sfountouris, a survivor of the massacre .
hi sheryll, google argiris sfountouris, he witnessed the massacre, his parents and relatives were also murdered in the massacre. he was very young and was sent to an orphanage, later sent to switzerland where he studied astrophysics, returned to greece and has been campaigning for justice for the dimostomo’s massacre. if anyone was to help, perhaps he might be the best option. best of luck .
“this is a political issue and up to the government to demand it, ” said distomo deputy mayor zissis .
on june 10th, the residents of distomo will commemorate the 71st anniversary of the massacre. those who lived through it say they don' t tire of telling the story, however painful, because it' s important that the memory live on .
resting on a hill above the town of distomo, greece, is a massive memorial and ossuary. it contains the names and skulls of victims from a 1944 german massacre in this town where 218 men, women, and children were slaughtered. 1
the court of first instance of leivadia gave a verdict in the case on 30 october 1997, holding germany liable for the distomo massacre and awarding - in other words, ordering germany to pay - damages in the amount of approximately $ 30 million .
case note: “ prefecture of voiotia v. federal republic of germany (distomo massacre case), (case no 11 / 2000): greece, court of cassation (areios pagos) 4 may 2000 ”, 129 ilr 514, 2007 .
in march, amid an ongoing war of words between athens and berlin, the new justice minister said he was “ready to approve” a 15 - year - old greek supreme court ruling that authorised the seizure of german property as compensation for the distomo massacre .
a quarter of distomo’s population died — 218 people including infants and pregnant women who were disemboweled, says the town’s deputy mayor loukas zissis, who lost his grandfather and uncle in the massacre .
this is a crime against humanity ,
zissis said .
in march, amid an ongoing war of words between athens and berlin, the new justice minister said he was
ready to approve
a 15 - year - old greek supreme court ruling that authorized the seizure of german property as compensation for the distomo massacre .
in the 1960s the german government paid for residents of distomo to learn professional trades in germany in an act of goodwill .
distomo, greece. june 10, 1944: waffen - ss troops watch the village burn. mazower 1995, 213 .
a museum for the massacre victims has been built in the centre of the quiet and pretty village. a theatre, showing a 20 - minute history film about the massacre, was built five years ago, with eu money. a mausoleum holding the bones of the dead sits on the hill overlooking the village .
this memorial in distomo is worth stopping in at. it' s very confronting and sad to realise the massacre which took place here, however the memorial is well designed and pays respect to all the lives lost. great views of the surrounds, including the village of ...
bailout talks reopen wounds in one greek village the protracted negotiations have brought up dark memories, especially between greece and germany. in the central town of distomo, site of a nazi massacre in 1944, the past is still painfully vivid but there' s hope for a european future .
german troops from the 4th ss panzer grenadier davison rolled into the sleepy village of distomo on saturday 10 june 1944 looking for revenge .
it was the scene of a savage world war ii massacre – the murder of 218 old men, women and children in a bitter reprisal against greek resistance fighters .
he said that successive greek governments have used the distomo massacre as a political tool to little avail .
we feel let down ,
balagouras said .
after all these years, what can they give us ?
added sehremelis .
what’s important is to never have such barbarism again .
mausoleum of distomo is one of the most impressive and imposing monuments of greece, which were erected in memory of the victims of nazism, is the mausoleum of distomo. the magnificent facility is located on john' s hill, at an altitude of 346 metres above the town of distomo. hosts the bones of 228 inhabitants of the region who were executed by german nazis in retaliation, shortly before the end of world war ii, in june 1944. the mausoleum of distomo is the center of annual events that honor the memory of these people, including even infants, who witnessed one of the frikwdesteres pages of world history. in a large marble slab is engraved all the names, while the area around the mausoleum of distomo is so formatted that inspires awe and respect. the museum of victims of nazism and the mausoleum of distomo is the two parts of the city that one must visit in order to be able to perceive the great history of submits this small town of greece. the massacre of distomo on june 10, 1944 the germans nazis experienced one of the heaviest defeats them just outside the steiri, when they were ambushed by the greeks rebel. forced to retreat, their anger erupted among residents of distomo. the massacre lasted from noon of that day until night fell and didn' t have anything left standing. swept through the village and carried out cold - blooded anyone who met, among them women, children and the elderly. the gruesome testimonies recorded the story say how the priest of distomo beheaded and women raped before being slaughtered .
loukas sehremelis was just 12 years old when nazi troops burst into his house in the greek village of distomo, shooting and killing indiscriminately .
loukas sehremelis was just 12 years old when nazi troops burst into his house in the greek village of distomo, shooting and killing indiscriminately .
this week, greece will mark the anniversary of the distomo massacre, one of the worst atrocities committed by nazi troops in greece during the second world war. greece is seeking reparations from germany for the nazi occupation, but critics argue its using the issue as a bargaining chip in its debt negotiations with europe .
many residents of distomo are open to europe and even to germany. but the town is mainly known for the nazi massacre — it even took germany to court over war reparations, though it lost. there' s a monument for the dead atop its highest hill, and residents recently remodeled an old elementary school to house a new museum .
' i despise them. germany is the enemy': the greek survivors of nazi massacre who say' no' vote wasn' t just about austerity but continued resistance against' occupation'
on the same day, 650 people including women and children were killed in ouradour - sur - glane, a french town that is today twinned with distomo .
christos papanikolaou, curator of the distomo victims museum, added:' germany has not fulfilled its obligations to greece for what happened during world war ii.'
a giant photograph of a distraught young woman whose family was murdered by the nazis in 1944 hangs in the entrance of a museum memorializing those who died in distomo .
after the massacre, nitsa nikolaou - sfountouri became pen pals with these young students from delaware, ont. nitsa says their support helped her cope with the tragedy. (margaret evans / cbc news )
following the massacre, a secret field police agent accompanying the german forces informed the authorities that, contrary to lautenbach’s official report, the german troops had come under attack several miles from distomo and had not been fired upon “with mortars, machine - guns and rifles from the direction of distomo”. an inquiry was convened. lautenbach admitted that he had gone beyond standing orders, but the tribunal found in his favour, holding that he had been motivated, not by negligence or ignorance, but by a sense of responsibility towards his men .
in the distomo case some battles, like getting convictions for the crimes committed, seem to have been lost. the fight for compensation however is backed by the survivors themselves and by activists across europe. slowly but surely it has picked up speed over the last 72 years. this is the reason why i still hope for distomo .
austerity measures in exchange for bailout loans have hit distomo residents — like all greeks — hard. bouras' salary has been cut, and so has sfountouris' pension .
life magazine covered the nazi attack at distomo in 1944. the killings in the village are often cited in greek claims for war reparations from germany. (life magazine )
villages like distomo have long campaigned for war reparations from germany, and their efforts have been given a boost by the new government of alexis tsipras, elected in january .
this is a political issue and up to the government to demand it ,
said distomo deputy mayor zissis .
whoever has committed a crime must pay .
how we even know the details of june 10, 1944 is remarkable. in response to an ambush that happened several miles outside distomo, a waffen - ss unit, knowing full well the perpetrators were not in the town, entered distomo and massacred its citizens. survivors later testified to rape, pillaging, and wild shooting at everyone. 2
june 10 marked the 71st anniversary of the distomo massacre by nazi forces occupying greece during wwii. the village of distomo, in south - central greece, has remained one of several place - names since then identified as “martyred sites”, with 211 men, women and children executed in cold blood by an ss unit that hours earlier had retreated from an armed engagement against partisans. the occupying troops, led by a 21 - year - old captain, took revenge on the village’s unarmed residents. the massacre and the subsequent life of the survivors, argyris sfoundouris, who was four years old at the time, was the subject of a 2007 short film entitled “a song for argyris”. the film, by stefan haupt, will again be screened on thursday, june 11 .
it' s a quite shocking experience because no human being can understand why this massacre took place and almost a whole village was slaughtered in the most atrocious way. . only sadness and disgust for the executioners ...
argyris is thinking about selling his childhood home in distomo. but would anyone ever want to buy a house in a village that has never really recovered from the massacre, where life drags on, where there is a continual drift to the cities? and yet: sometimes he is overcome by a sense of longing to be able to let go of the past and, released from the weight of his memories, to be free…
the village was the site of a notorious massacre by the waffen ss on 10th june, 1944. there had been some greek resistance in the area, including an ambush of a german column, but there was no direct ...
a giant photograph of a distraught young woman whose family was murdered by the nazis in 1944 hangs in the entrance of a museum memorializing those who died in distomo. joanna kakissis / npr hide caption
together with his three sisters, argyris decided to bring a charge against germany. in parallel, a collective claim was filed in greece by 290 directly affected people, relatives, and descendants in distomo .
but survivor eleni nikolaou - sfountouri, 82, said berlin still owes greece a huge debt for what the nazis did during the war. she was 11 when her parents, grandparents and two younger sisters were murdered by nazi soldiers in the massacre .
museum: pictures of some of the 218 victims massacred by the germans, on the walls of the museum for the victims of nazism in distomo, greece. ironically, it was paid for by the eu
the remains of the more than 200 greeks who were killed by the nazis during the attack on distomo are held in an ossuary perched on a hill above the town. (ellen mauro / cbc news )
the bones of his parents and the other victims, of what was one of the worst atrocities of the second world war by the nazis in greece, are kept in an ossuary above the village of distomo .
not many have heard about this massacre of 218 villagers in 1944 but please pay your respects if close by. this is a war crime from only 74 years ago and the descendants of those who died are still fighting for justice. “when will we ...
mrs nikolaou - sfountouri added:' after the massacre i was an orphan. i cannot live without the memories of what happened on that day. i was brought up by my grandmother and i married a lovely man, but i cannot forget that terrible day .
a small town in central greece still inhabited today, distomo has become the symbol of atrocities committed by nazi troops as they pulled back to germany in the wake of the allied normandy landings in the summer of 1944 .
nikos bouras, 37, stands next to a monument for those massacred by the nazis on june 10, 1944, that stands atop the highest hill in the greek town of distomo. joanna kakissis / npr hide caption
greek president prokopis pavlopoulos was greeted by residents of kassel, germany on saturday with signs saying “never again” in honor of the victims of the distomo massacre, which was carried out by the nazis on june 10, 1944, during their occupation of greece. pavlopoulos is in the german city along with his german counterpart, frank - walter steinmeier, for the inauguration of the art exhibition documenta 14, which opened in athens for the first time in its 60 - year history in april .
four days after the allied d - day landings in normandy in june 1944 a ruthless battalion of german soldiers took out their frustration and anger on unarmed civilians in distomo, a country village set below mountains where partisans hid .
argyris sfountouris was born in distomo (greece) in 1940. after three daughters, his parents were pleased to have a son, and so was his grandfather because his grandson was traditionally baptised with his name, argyris .
every war has many sad moments, especially when it comes to life toll, and you cannot visualize that in a better way when you see the ages in the victims in that massacre. on your way to ossios loukas monastery, a visit to this memorial ...
being aware of the volatile nature of the german reunification agreement, he paid a visit to the german embassy in athens. he asked how best to formulate his claim for compensation for the damages suffered in the war. he received a written reply from the embassy in 1995. it stated that the massacre was to be considered as a “warfare strategy” and that, as a result, no compensation could be claimed. he was deeply hurt by the fact that the significance of the massacre was still not recognised to its full extent, but was played down instead .
the village was the site of a notorious massacre by the waffen ss on 10th june, 1944. there had been some greek resistance in the area, including an ambush of a german column, but there was no direct link with the village. nevertheless 218 villagers, ...
germany occupied greece during world war ii, committing atrocities that some older greeks can' t forget. this history defines the pretty village of distomo in central greece, where nazi soldiers killed 218 men, women and children in june 1944 .
' the people [ of distomo ] did nothing to deserve what happened to them. they were the victims of a merciless german attack. i don' t hate them, i despise them. i feel like germany is the enemy.'
distomo' s orphans are mostly in their 70s or 80s now. but the children they once were and their startled sense of loss are not far beneath the lines on the faces that have deepened with time and anguished memories that still cling .
pittrof, ‘compensation claims for human rights breaches committed by german armed forces abroad during the second world war: federal court of justice hands down decision in the distomo case’, 5 german law journal, 2004, vol. 5 no. 15 .
it' s a characteristic image of the time ,
bouras says .
this picture was called the distomo mother. her name was maria pandiska. this picture has gone all over the world and is part of our activism here .
agent accompanying the german forces informed the authorities that, contrary to lautenbach' s official report, the german troops had come under attack several miles from distomo and had not been fired upon
with mortars, machine - guns and rifles from the direction of distomo
. an inquiry was convened. lautenbach admitted that he had gone beyond standing orders, but the tribunal found in his favour, holding that he had been motivated, not by negligence or ignorance, but by a sense of responsibility towards his men .
here’s the synopsis of the 2007 film: june 10, 1944. distomo: a small farming village at a stone’s throw from the sea, on the road leading from athens to delphi. this is where little argyris, who was not even four years old, survived a brutal massacre committed by the german occupying forces. an ss division’s so - called “expiatory measure” after a partisan attack in the vicinity. within less than two hours, 218 villagers were killed: women, men, elderly people, toddlers, and babies. argyris lost his parents and thirty more relatives .
in june 1944, german occupation forces in greece massacred more than 300 inhabitants of the village of distomo and burnt the village to the ground, as reprisal for a partisan attack on german troops. in 1995, proceedings against germany were instituted before the greek courts, by over 250 relatives of the victims of the massacre, claiming compensation for loss of life and property. the court of livadia held germany liable and ordered it to pay compensation to the claimants. germany appealed to the court of cassation, on the ground that it was immune from the jurisdiction of the greek courts .
sfountouris still cries when he talks about the family he lost. he now runs a gas station in distomo and says he has to buy nearly all of his products from germany. many goods sold in greece are imported from germany, a fellow european union country .
argyris sfountouris sits on a park bench in athens, easily casting his mind back into the shadows of the nazi occupation of greece even though he was just four when members of hitler' s waffen ss arrived in the village of distomo on june 10th, 1944 .
the stories of distomo' s suffering, and that of other towns and villages that suffered the same fate, are etched into the psyche of the country. and the animosity that has grown between greece and germany over the debt crisis has indeed prodded old wounds .
on june 10, 1944, one of the most brutal events in all of world war ii took place in the tiny greek village of distomo, on the greek mainland. according to survivor testimony, nazi ss troops went door to door and massacred 218 greek civilians .
on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the distomo massacre in 1994, argyris and the community of distomo organised a “congress for peace” at the european cultural centre in delphi. the congress topics “remembrance – mourning – hope“ looked at the efforts made in germany, greece and elsewhere as regards compensation, defeating hate, and reconciliation. the congress was attended by nineteen speakers: historians, journalists, brain researchers, social education workers, psychoanalysts, resistance fighters, youth workers, and lawyers from athens, zurich, berlin and other cities. research results were exchanged, conditions for peaceful cohabitation and reconciliation discussed and the psychological causes leading to such inhuman deeds debated. however, one group was not represented: despite great efforts and repeated requests, not one german politician, not even the german ambassador in athens, agreed to participating at the congress. a bitter disappointment for argyris .
for germany the matter was extremely “delicate”. in case argyris’s appeal or the distomo collective claim came through, this could cause a breach in the dam, flooding the german federal republic with countless international reparation claims, which it had managed to ward off and postpone for decades .
in june 1944, german occupation forces in greece massacred more than 300 inhabitants of the village of distomo and burnt the village to the ground, as reprisal for a partisan attack on german troops. in 1995, proceedings against germany were instituted before the greek courts, by over 250 relatives of the victims of the massacre, claiming compensation for loss of life and property. the court of livadia, greece, held germany liable and ordered it to pay compensation to the claimants. germany appealed to the greek supreme court, on the ground that it was immune from the jurisdiction of the greek courts, on the basis of state immunity .
nikos bouras, who works at the town hall, often unlocks the museum for visitors. it' s chilly inside because distomo doesn' t have money for heat, and voices echo. near the entrance, there' s a portrait of a distraught young woman whose family was murdered .
but she doesn' t blame germany for greece' s debt crisis. she says greek politicians got the country into debt. she likes the germans she has met, including a good friend named sophie whom she met when a church group from nuremberg came to honor the dead of distomo a few years ago .
every war has many sad moments, especially when it comes to life toll, and you cannot visualize that in a better way when you see the ages in the victims in that massacre. on your way to ossios loukas monastery, a visit to this memorial is a chance to pay respect to the victims there, but also a chance to appreciate the idea of peace and prosperity .
the commander further argued that the people of distomo surely knew of the ambush and would likely contribute to another. his attack on the town was therefore necessary. the tribunal concluded as much, even going so far to proclaim that “non - use of arms would have led to proceedings for negligent release of prisoners .
4
we are so sure of this account, because the germans investigated the incident after reviewing conflicting reports—one from the waffen - ss commander who described mortars and machine gun fire coming from distomo and another from a german police agent who described otherwise. during the inquiry, the waffen - ss commander admitted to fudging his official report. he explained that
12. ms lechouritou and a number of other individuals brought an action against germany before the polimeles protodikio (court of first instance), kalavrita, (greece) seeking compensation for the physical damage, non - material loss and mental anguish which they suffered as a result of the massacre carried out by wehrmacht soldiers on 13 december 1943 in kalavrita, when greece had been invaded during the second world war. (6 )
in an announcement, issued on february 3, concerning an international court of justice (icj) ruling upholding germany’s position, that it enjoys state immunity from being sued in foreign courts by victims of nazi atrocities during world war ii, the ministry of foreign affairs states that the greek government will study this judgement closely, in the light of its firm and longstanding position that the matter of german compensations remains open. the judgement affects the case of the south - central greek village of distomo, where nazi troops killed 214 civilians on june 10, 1944, one of the numerous instances of wwii atrocities in occupied greece. the court case concerned the confiscation of german property on italian soil for reparations to be paid to victims of distomo .
standing up there having heard all these awesome testimonies of that sinister day thinking how was all this gruesome crime, trying to see the past watching from above the heroic and martyred distomo and up there a monument to to remember you, your children, your grandchildren that once there were people like we experienced and paid with their lives the brutality and hate of the nazis .
a town with a tragic history due to the massacre of its population by the germans in 1944. if you intend on visiting ossios loukas which is on the same road, it' s well worth the stop to pay your respects at the memorial. there is also a museum inside the town opposite the mayors office with photos of all the victims & also photos of their skulls where one can see the bullet holes. i visited here in october 2013 .
on june 10, 1944, for over two hours, waffen - ss troops of the 4th ss polizei panzergrenadier division under the command of ss - hauptsturmführer fritz lautenbach went door to door and massacred greek civilians as part of a ‘retaliation measure’ for a partisanattack upon the unit. a total of 214 men, women and children were killed in distomo, a small village near delphi .
72 years ago, on 10 june 1944, waffen - ss troops invaded the greek village of distomo. when they left, 218 inhabitants had been massacred, the buildings burned to the ground. an eyewitness entering the village afterwards described how the streets were lined with corpses hanging from the trees, their bodies bearing the marks of the gruesome acts that had led to their deaths (see
on june 10, 1944, for over two hours, waffen - ss troops of the 4th ss polizei panzergrenadier division under the command of ss - hauptsturmführer fritz lautenbach went door to door and massacred greek civilians as part of a ‘retaliation measure’ for a partisan attack upon the unit. a total of 218 men, women, children and babies were killed in distomo, a small village near delphi .
i ran to the balcony and screamed,' they' ve killed my father and my mother and our little niko!'
sfountouris recalls .
nothing moved in distomo, nothing at all. we saw dead people everywhere. when it started getting dark, we got scared all over again. my uncle came to get us, and we spent the night hiding in the mountains .
in april 1941 the german wehrmacht invaded greece. as a result of the occupation, a devastating famine ravaged the country, particularly the cities. however, farming families in villages far away from the cities managed to get by. but on june 10, 1944, distomo was seized with horror. after the soldiers of a german ss special division had blocked off all access to the village, a so - called retaliatory measure was initiated: to avenge a few fellow - soldiers, who had died in a fight with greek partisans near a neighbouring village, the german soldiers first shot twelve farmers and then killed the villagers. they murdered more than two hundred inhabitants: babies, children, pregnant women, and elderly people. argyris lost his parents and thirty more relatives. the massacre, which took place only four days after the allied landing at normandy (june 6, 1944), is considered one of the most atrocious of its kind (cf. appendix a) .
however, the efforts to enforce the judgment even­tually failed because the minister of justice denied his approval – a necessary prerequisite for executing a judgment against a foreign state under greek law (art. 923 of the code of civil procedure). this decision was upheld by the athens court of appeal on 14 september 2001. redress was then sought in the european court of human rights, and a complaint was lodged under article 6 (1) of the european convention on human rights. this complaint was equally unsuccessful: app. no. 59021 / 00, kalogeropoulou v. greece and germany, ecthr, 12 dec. 2002, 129 ilr (2007) 537. finally in 2003, the german federal supreme court rejected the enforcement of the greek judgment in germany, distomo massacre case, bundesgerichtshof, iii zr 245 / 98, 26 june 2003, 129 ilr (2007) 556. the german constitutional court in 2006 affirmed the decision of the bundesgerichtshof, bverfg, 2 bvr 1476 / 03, 15 feb. 2006 .
decades after the massacre four relatives of victims brought legal proceedings against the german government to court in livadeia, greece, demanding reparations. on october 30, 1997, the court ruled in favour of the plaintiffs and awarded damages of 28 million euros. eventually in may 2000, areos pagos, the greek high court, confirmed this ruling. the judgment, however could not be enforced in greece, because under greek law, the execution of a judgment against a sovereign state is subject to the prior consent of the minister of justice, and this consent was not given .
after this, there seems to be a long standstill with regard to the distomo case, which lasts more or less until the beginning of the 90s. over this time, a lot has changed. the auschwitz - trials in frankfurt in the 60s have profoundly altered the perspective within the german society and has raised awareness for the past crimes. the trials of adolf eichmann in 1961 and of klaus barbie 1987 did the same for israel and france, but also for the larger international public .
in the meantime the special supreme court of greece indirectly overruled the areios pagos in parallel proceed­ings granting immunity to germany; margellos and others v. federal republic of germany, anotato eidiko diskastirio (greek special supreme court), 6 / 2002, 129 ilr (2007) 526. but when the corte di cassazione (italian supreme court) issued its ferrini decision in 2004, the distomo plaintiffs instituted proceeding in italy to execute the greek judgment against germany there, and registered a legal charge over a property near lake como owned by germany (corte di cassazione, 14199, 29 may 2008 )
on june 10, 1944 the nazi troops stationed in greece performed acts of indescribable violence in the small village of distomo. the few survivors told their story in fakeloi, a show in greek television. disclaimer: i don' t own the rights to the video itself, i only made the translation and the subtitles. the subtitles have an creative commons license, which means you can freely share, show and copy them as long as i' m given the credits for their creation. please do not use them for profit, it' s about sharing the knowledge! you can see what else i' ve translated on urltoken
after the war had ended, distomo first came up in a legal context when the us military tribunal that succeeded the nuremberg trials focused on the war crimes committed during the balkan campaign. the so - called “hostage cases” revealed how ss and wehrmacht had met with fierce resistance by partisan groups in the entire balkan region. they responded by taking civilians hostage and retaliating against civilians when they were attacked. the “quota” often exceeded 70 executed civilians for each german soldier killed. it is only due to these excessive “quotas” that some of the generals were finally sentenced. the overall practice of retaliating against civilians, however, was seen as legally permissible at the time, while partisan resistance was deemed illegal .
since this last big decision, lower courts in italy have reopened some of the cases, but so far no money has been paid and no german property seized. the question is what will happen next. which brings us back to the original question. what is there still to say? what is there still to expect? looking at the chronology presented above, it is evident that during those 72 years, the distomo case has picked up speed. it has not done so consistently, it has encountered a lot of resistance and it has not yet reached its goal. also, the impression prevails that the german government is not willing to pay unless it is forced (question nr. 7 here) .
when i first thought about writing a text to highlight this day, i felt myself give up almost immediately. 72 years, i thought. what is there to say after 72 years? is there still hope that the remaining survivors will see the day, when the german government finally gives in and pays the historic debt that it has owed them for 72 to years? at first i was inclined to give a negative answer to these questions. i would either give up on the project altogether or write the text no matter what. thinking about distomo in light of the latter option, i began to see things differently as i looked at how the case had evolved over time and how that connects it to a similar evolution of other cases .
distomo re - emerged with the german reunification. in 1953, the london debt agreement had postponed the settlement of germanys war related debts, until there was a final peace agreement. an international agreement with that exact title never came into existence. instead there was the treaty on the final settlement with respect to germany, also known as the 4 + 2 - treaty. it did not touch upon the question of war - related debts, which has so far led to a number of different opinions on the current legal situation, calling into question the peace treaty character of the 4 + 2 - treaty or interpreting the omission of any reference to debts as either an annulment or as explicitly leaving the question open (more on all this here) .
after the civil war, which had engulfed greece after ww ii had ended in 1949, criminal prosecution of german war criminals also commenced there. by the time they had shown some results, germany entered into negotiations with greece concerning a lump sum payment. concluded in 1960, germany paid 115 million deutschmark to the greek state in order to settle all claims arising out of the persecution due to race, religion or world view. victims of other crimes, like those in distomo were not covered. part of the deal was to hand over all present and future criminal cases against german citizens, so they could be tried in germany. however, none of the accused were ultimately convicted. to this very day, the only germans ever sentenced on german soil for the crimes committed in greece and the balkans are those sentenced by the us military tribunal .
6 – in relation to similar events which occurred in distomo on 10 june 1944, 257 greek citizens brought an action against germany which was upheld by the court of first instance, livadia, in a decision of 30 october 1997. that decision was upheld by the greek supreme court by a judgment dated 4 may 2000, but this judgment was not enforced because no prior authorisation was given by the ministry of justice in accordance with article 923 of the code of civil procedure. the plaintiffs then brought the case before the european court of human rights which, in kalogeropoulou and others v. greece and germany (dec .), no. 59021 / 00, echr 2002 - x, analysed the relationship between state immunity and the european convention for the protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms and ruled that the restrictions laid down in the greek legislation were proportionate. the observations submitted by the german government on the present reference for a preliminary ruling give an account of the diplomatic crisis which arose at the time .
relying on the interpretation that the question of war - related debts was now open, the survivors of distomo approached the german government. when this attempt was disregarded, a series of trials commenced, with the greek court in lavadia according a 37, 5 million euros to the victims in 1997, which was then confirmed by the greek federal court, only to see the enforcement halted by the greek government. the subsequent attempts to enforce the title in germany failed at all judicial levels and even with the echr. at the same time, the survivors were almost successful in their attempt to enforce the title in italy. an attempt that was once again halted in the last minute by the italian government. the case was seemingly settled by the following icj ruling, which held that italy had infringed germany’s sovereign immunity by allowing the trials, a matter that also concerned all the other previous trials outside of germany. the icj did however call into question how germany had handled requests for compensation for war crimes suffered and called upon the parties to settle through diplomatic means. the fact that this call was not heard led to a new development before italian courts which in 2014 culminated in a decision by the italian constitutional court. based entirely on domestic law, it once again allowed trials against germany concerning war crimes committed during ww ii, allowing core human rights to prevail over sovereign immunity .
if one looks at the question of victim compensation as one part of transitional justice, then this is a reoccurring phenomenon. despite the historic and individual uniqueness that separates all the events summed up under this term, they are also united by the essential role played by time as the essence of change .
this is not an attempt to put forward the idea that time heals everything. it does not. apologies do. convictions do. and finally, compensation does. but all across the world, governments have become weaker over time in their resistance to facing the past. in all those cases it is not the magical hand of time which has brought about change, but the persistence of civil society actors over time. the barrios altos case in peru is just one example among many. all of these cases have not just put pressure on individual governments, but have also helped to slowly steer international law into a more human - centred direction over the last 72 years .
von anika klafki, tina winter und felix würkert am samstag waren zahlreiche vertreter * innen der jungen wissenschaft im öffentlichen recht in hamburg zu gast, um die öffentlich - rechtlichen herausforderungen der digitalen revolution zu diskutieren. besonders glücklich waren wir neben den exzellenten vorträgen über unser lebhaftes diskussionswütiges publikum! vielen dank für eine sehr bereichernde tagung an…
– von der legaldefinition zum populistischen perpetuum mobile – von felix würkert nachdem die bundesregierung jüngst die prognose für die 2015 gestellten asylanträge nach oben korrigiert hat, werden die forderungen nach einer ausweitung der liste „sicherer herkunftsstaaten“ noch lauter werden. dabei prägt diese politisch determinierte legaldefinition auf gefährlich undifferenzierte weise…
von mehrdad payandeh wer in diesen tagen die zeitung aufschlägt, gewinnt fast zwangsläufig den eindruck, die rechtliche zulässigkeit von waffenlieferungen an die syrische opposition sei allein eine frage des rechts der europäischen union. so berichtet etwa die süddeutsche zeitung in ihrer wochenendausgabe vom 23. / 24. märz 2013 über die uneinigkeit der…
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meanwhile, in athens, 28 mps from pasok, new democracy (nd), radical left coalition (syriza) as well as independent deputies tabled a motion in parliament requesting a discussion on issues concerning the so - called german occupation loan from greece during wwii, as well as the issue of war reparations to victims of nazi atrocities and stolen treasures from the country. in a letter addressed to the presidents of competent parliamentary committees, the mps called on parliament to adopt a clear stance on this “crucial national issue. ” (greek news agenda )
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( video) watch this awarded greek filmmaker’s incredible time - lapse ...
survivors said that the nazis bayoneted babies in their cribs and stabbed pregnant women and beheaded the village priest. it was a two - hour killing spree ordered by the germans in retaliation for rebel activity in the area .
the iconic american magazine life also carried a photo essay in its november 24, 1944 edition.
the distomo massacre ( greek : η σφαγή του 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 . 
the distomo massacre (greek: η σφαγή του 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.
the distomo massacre (greek: η σφαγή του 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.