After the passage of eighty long years, some of the descendants of those men unjustly executed in Fornelli are poised to receive a portion of the 12 million euros ($13 million) granted by an Italian court as compensation for the enduring trauma inflicted upon their families.
Mauro Petrarca, the great-grandson of one of the victims, Domenico Lancellotta, a 52-year-old Roman Catholic father of five daughters and a son, remarked, “We still mark the event every year. It hasn’t been forgotten.” Though most family members from that time have since passed away, Italian law allows for damages to be inherited by their heirs. This provision means that Petrarca is slated to receive approximately 130,000 euros ($142,000) as stipulated by a 2020 court ruling.
In a twist of fate, the responsibility for compensation falls upon Italy rather than Germany, following Italy’s loss in a legal battle at the International Court of Justice over whether Berlin should be accountable for damages arising from World War Two crimes and atrocities.
Italian Jewish organizations argue that Berlin should acknowledge its historical responsibility by making the payments. However, victims’ groups also harbor concerns that Rome is sluggish in addressing a multitude of claims, potentially burdening state finances.
Giulio Disegni, Vice President of the Union of Italian Jewish Communities (UCEI), which advocates for Jewish victims of Nazi horrors, noted, “This is a very tormented issue, both from a political and a legal perspective.”
A study funded by the German government in 2016 estimated that 22,000 Italians were victims of Nazi war crimes, including up to 8,000 Jews who were deported to death camps. Thousands of additional Italians were subjected to forced labor in Germany, rendering them eligible for reparations.
The initial beneficiaries of the newly established government fund for addressing claims are likely to be the descendants of the six Catholic men from Fornelli who were hanged while German soldiers played music on a gramophone stolen from a nearby house.
This tragic event occurred just a month after Italy signed an armistice with the Allied forces, officially ending its involvement in World War Two and severing ties with the Nazis, who promptly initiated their occupation of the country.
The Fornelli case, initiated in 2015, targeted both Germany and Italy, with the latter attempting, unsuccessfully, to halt the proceedings.
In light of an increasing number of cases making their way to court, former Prime Minister Mario Draghi established a fund in April 2022 to cover the escalating costs of compensation, aiming to bring closure to a dark chapter in Italy’s history.
A deadline for submitting new legal claims expired on June 28, and the Italian Treasury, responsible for managing payouts, reported receiving notifications of 1,228 legal suits thus far, with the possibility of more yet to come.
Given that each lawsuit may involve multiple plaintiffs, legal experts suggest that the allocated 61 million euros for reparations may fall far short of meeting all anticipated payouts.
The fund has already been augmented from its original 55 million euros, but the Treasury has not definitively determined whether this increase will prove sufficient.
Moreover, the government retains the prerogative to review any court verdict before deciding on disbursements, introducing an additional bureaucratic hurdle for claimants, although the government denies intentionally obstructing families seeking redress.
