Italy has for the first time paid compensation to victims of Nazi war crimes, giving 800,000 euros ($840,000) to the heirs of a man killed in a 1944 civilian massacre in Tuscany, a lawyer for the heirs and the Italian Treasury said on Wednesday.
The landmark decision, coming after decades of legal struggles, marks a significant shift in the Italian government's approach, potentially setting a precedent for the families of other victims of Nazi and fascist crimes.
Metello Ricciarini was killed along with 243 others in Civitella in Val di Chiana, about 220 kilometers north of Rome, on June 29, 1944, in a reprisal by German troops after two of them died in a shootout with Italian partisans.
"I express my satisfaction, of my mother Metella and of my relatives, who received the money from the economy ministry last week," said family lawyer Roberto Alboni, who is also the victim's nephew, adding it took two decades to get compensation.