The Bundesrat, upper house of West Germany’s parliament, today accepted an amendment to the German restitution law, previously passed by the Bundestag, the lower house, providing for payments to victims of Nazism who had lost personal effects in Nazi-occupied countries during the war; The amendment includes authorization to establish a special fund of 800, 000, 000 Deutschmarks ($200, 000, 000) to pay compensation for such losses.
Dr. H. Mueller, of Baden-Wurttemburg, the rapporteur of the Bundesrat’s special committee dealing with the amendment, expressed the opinion that the compensation involved would amount to 2, 200, 000, 000 Deutschmarks ($550, 000, 000). He told the upper house that the larger sum was consonant with the Federal Government’s financial situation and showed understanding of the fact that the organizations of Nazi victims were not quite satisfied with the amendnent. Many of these organizations are Jewish victims.
It was noted here that the amendment comerns only restitution but does not include indemnification of those victims of Nazism who suffered injuries in Nazi concentration camps and who were not able to file their indemnification claims prior to October 1, 1953.
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