The German state can be prosecuted for damages in Italy over Nazi massacres and the use of forced labour in World War Two following rulings by Italy's high court this week, lawyers said on Friday.
Italy's Corte Suprema di Cassazione, ruling on separate cases originating in Greece and Italy by victims or their families, rejected Germany's claims that international law gave it immunity from prosecution by private citizens.
"This is an important ruling that sets a precedent," said attorney Luca Procacci, who is representing Italians who were forced to work in Nazi camps toward the end of World War Two, after Italy switched sides to align with Allied powers.
Another case relates to damages being sought in Italy related to a SS massacre of killed 218 men, women and children in the central Greek village of Distomo on June 10th, 1944. The damages are being sought in Italy and not Greece for legal reasons, said attorney Joachim Lau.
A German foreign ministry official said Berlin was examining the repercussions of the court defeat, adding that Germany had not ruled out any legal options.