Germany to negotiate compensation for relatives of Gdansk Post victims

The German Finance Ministry is ready to talk about compensation for relatives of the defenders of the Polish Post Office in Gdansk which were shot in October 1939. A German Military Court ordered the death sentences, however three years ago a German court ruled the order was an act of murder. Compensation was not offered to their families because according to German law the state is responsible for errors of its functionaries only if they refer to German citizens. The lawyers representing the Polish families found a decree issued by Adolf Hitler on Sept. 1 1939 granting all people living in the Free City Gdansk German citizenship which opened the door for the Polish families of the victims to obtain compensation. (Gazeta Wyborcza, page 7)