Court Offers Hope to German Army Radiation Victims

A court in Bonn indicated on Friday that former German soldiers seeking damages for exposure to radiation might receive compensation. The former soldiers are demanding €60,000 ($72,000) each from the army for being exposed to radiation in the 1960s and 1970s while handling technical equipment. They say the radiation exposure is responsible for the various forms of cancer they now have. The court ordered both the plaintiffs and the German army to provide further details on the soldiers' activities during active duty and said it might order an independent review of the matter. The German Defense Ministry, which has in principle agreed to provide basic support for the four plaintiffs since the trial began in March this year, has thus far refused to pay them any additional compensation.