Preibke’s family in talks for possible German burial
(ANSA) – Rome, October 17 – The lawyer representing Erich Priebke’s family said Thursday that talks had started with the German authorities about the possibility of the Nazi war criminal being buried in his homeland.
But lawyer Paolo Giachini stressed that it was still possible that the final resting place of the unrepentant former SS officer may be in Italy.
The issue of Priebke’s burial has been a big problem since he died Friday aged 100 under Rome house arrest for his part in the massacre of 335 men and boys, including 75 Jews, at the Ardeatine caves outside Rome in 1944.
A funeral for Priebke in Albano Laziale, a town near Rome, was abandoned Tuesday amid scenes of chaos after protestors clashed with far-right extremists.
His body was subsequently taken to a military airport at Pratica di Mare for public order reasons. Rome Church and city officials had refused permission for his funeral to take place in the capital.
On Wednesday Rome Mayor Ignazio Marino said the city was in talks with the German authorities over what to do with the body of Priebke.
But the German foreign ministry said the problem had to be solved by Italy, while stressing that Priebke had the right to be buried in his homeland, although it was up to his relatives to organise this.
“I’ve received a mandate from Mr Priebke’s family to contact the German embassy, which I have done,” Giachini told ANSA.
“The request for burial has not yet been made official, but contact has been made. “The consul reassured us that, as a German citizen, Priebke has the right to be buried in Germany. “But there’s also another possibility. An Italian law firm called me on behalf of a client offering a tomb for the burial in an Italian town. “We are looking into whether this is possible from a political-administrative point of view”. Giachini said that the Italian authorities had seized Priebke’s body after the abandoned funeral and said the family wanted to have control of it back.
More confusion was caused by reports late on Wednesday that the body had been moved from Pratica di Mare to an unspecified destination. The reports were later denied.