“According to the recent historically important decision of the Italian Supreme Court, the Federal Republic of Germany has to compensate the descendants of the victims of Distomo regarding the Nazi atrocities against innocent victims”, clarified in an interview to “In-On” magazine the lawyer Kelly Stamoulis, daughter of the late lawyer, member of the European Parliament and prefect of Viotia, Giannis Stamoulis.
It concerns –she continued- the irrevocable decision of the Italian Justice while the international right of immunity of states and of Germany in particular was refused in the same way as that was held in Greece after the decision of the Greek Supreme Court (DEP) in 2000”.
Mrs. Stamoulis stressed “we put Germany in front of its responsibilities since not only has refused to compensate Greece but also stubbornly refuses to discuss its duties even through its diplomatic corps.
Moreover she clarified that till the end of 2011 this decision of the Italian Court (the liquidation of the property of Germany in Italy on the condition that the amount of nearly 60 million Euros with interest is not allowed) cannot be implemented due to the fact that Silvio Berlusconi, the Prime Minister of Italy issued a special decree which is applied till December 31st, 2011 according to which all the enforcement processes against a foreign government are suspended till the end of the year.
Provided that there will not be another “obstacle” of the kind regarding this injunction Order in Italy, Germany is obliged to pay the descendants of the victims of the martyred village of Distomo.
My father -she said- chose the legal way in 1995, while being the Prefect of Viotia because the specific area has paid a heavy death toll during the German occupation, in order to vindicate the dead people of Distomo. Therefore, he called the citizens of Distomo to authorize him -as it was finally done- so as on behalf of their part to commence the relative judicial process. The result was that 15 years later Distomo won the legal battle.
At this point -she noted- let us recall for a while the Holocaust in Distomo “Several Germans in conventional cars and dressed in clothes taken from prisoners set off for Distomo being followed by a military convoy part of which coming from Amfissa. On their way they killed women and children and also captured 12 peasants as hostages having put them on the cars. Reaching Distomo the Germans forced the hostages to ask the villagers if the guerillas had already been there. The villagers showed them the direction to the village of Stiri. However, due to the fact that the guerrillas vigorously resisted, they returned to the village and the massacre started. 218 people were slaughtered from five years of age to over 66 years old. Atrocities were realized as when in the case of a victim that was found decapitated with no eyes while in the case of pregnant women they forced the womb open and killed the babies inside”.
Curriculum Vitae
Kelly Stamoulis is a lawyer graduated from the Law School of Athens and post graduated in Brussels in the field of the Law of the Sea and Air. She is a member of the Bar Association of the U.K and Greece.
She has worked in the European Union in Brussels, in the British Law Firm in Brussels whereas till today she works at her father’s office in Athens.
Giannis Stamoulis apart from being a lawyer, he was also the prefect of Viotia and member of the European Parliament as well.
He belonged to the group that legally represented Andreas Papandreou having participated in almost every significant trial in the last 20 years; trials of every sort: civil trials, criminal trials and political trials. His main feature was his impeccable legal training and full capacity in every area of practice. He had studied in the University of Athens particularly in the School of Law and the School of Economics.
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