Italy sentences 2 ex-Nazis to life in prison for 1944 massacre
Herbert Stommel and Joseph Scheungraber did not attend their trial and are believed to be in Germany.
By The Associated PressROME - An Italian court has sentenced two former German soldiers to life in prison for their role in the 1944 massacre of 16 people near the Tuscan town of Arezzo, a lawyer said Friday.
The military court in the northern port town of La Spezia found Herbert Stommel and Joseph Scheungraber guilty of complicity in murdering civilians, said Stommel's court-appointed lawyer, Giovanni Battista Santini.
The two, both in their eighties, did not attend the trial and are believed to be in Germany, Santini said.
Prosecutors accused the two former officers of leading their engineering corps unit in a two-day rampage in June 1944 against civilians, including women and elderly residents of Falzano di Cortona, south of Arezzo.
The massacre was a reprisal for the killing of two German soldiers and had its most bloody episode when the troops shut 11 people in a farmhouse and then blew up the building.
Stommel and Scheungraber were also sentenced on Thursday to pay compensation to the town of Cortona and to the families of the victims. However, the two do not face any immediate penalties, since in Italy court rulings go into effect only once appeals have been exhausted.
Santini said prosecutors had insufficient evidence to prove that those on trial were involved in the massacre. He plans to appeal the sentence.
In a separate case last year in La Spezia, 10 former members of the Nazi SS were sentenced to life in prison for another 1944 massacre of more than 500 villagers in the Tuscan village of Sant'Anna di Stazzema.
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i think these officers in front of bush, sharon, olmert, blair an co they are novice
Justice Delayed, so the old saying goes, is Justice Denied. Well, here Justice was delayed so long that it was denied, yet it has finally happened. But I guarantee you that the vast majority of Nazi criminals have gotten away with it; and the vast majority of other war criminals will continue to get away with it. In fact, the ONLY reason these guys eventually got away with it, was that they had the misfortune (theirs not ours) to be on the losing side. Otherwise Justice would have been denied forever.
To all you Arabs and sympathisers out there that are using this as another platform and opportunity to moan and blame Israel for all your problems - in light of such devastation caused to your towns maybe you should encourage your leaders to talk with Israel rather than kidnap her soldiers. In any case, aren't the victims of Qana and other villages now martytrs? Aren't they now in paradise? So whats the problem
Unfortunately for you, my cryptic vulgarian friend, if history is a river, then you are a salmon swimming upstream on its final swim. The world is growing immune to Communist-anarchist rhetoric, which is actually beginning to sound humorous in addition to stupid.
What are you talking about? Nasrallah said that the IDF were defeated, embarrassed, made to retreat like dogs with their tails between their legs. Narallah said it was a great victory, a heroic defense. Didn't you go to the celebration and cheer for the man who caused the war. You think he pities your losses as he struts around like a rooster crowing about what a brave man he is. Then he offers you money as if that will compensate for all your losses. As if money will make up for all your men, women and children. What about your government that allowed this man to accumulate so much power that he could bring such a disaster to your country, and what about you, will you allow this man to bring destruction upon you again because it is only a matter of time before this rooster needs to crow again.
You said : "War is war. Cause creates effect." Now, what about if I go on my paranoiac speech of the "6 millions" with the words ? What do you think the reactions here would be ?! Turn your tongue 7 times into anoher's mouth ! :)
By your admitence of revenge you deplore all that you speak in other forums. War is war. Cause creates effect. Isreal did much to try to minimize innocent casualties. It could of done more I admit, but at what price? I beg you to answer at what price any ones life is worth? Have not the mistakes of history shown that revenge only brings more death?! Qana is a effect of many causes that led up to it. Both sides need to look to a new light and new mode of understanding if anything is ever to change. But point your fingers anyway because history has shown us that hate is twice as powerful as love, and bad memories stay longer then good ones. For once, the worlds most persecuted and diasporated people have taken up arms in defense and made a stand. No wonder bully's now have a hard time accepting the new kid. But when the new kid bloody's the nose of the bully, the bully never learns. Fight on we must.
No one will forget our children, they think they can get away with it. We know who is responsible for the massacre of Qana and others and when time come and when they are in custody,they will face justice. If we cannot get them, God will.
? Caught me by surprise on that one. Will this be the day before or after the Islamic hate entity is castigated (though I must admit at this point I'd prefer castrated) as well?
me too, but as we know, that wil never happen.
Who killed our civilians in Lebanon.