Berlin — The German government said Friday it had asked a US court to throw out a lawsuit brought by indigenous groups from Namibia seeking reparations for the genocide of their peoples under German colonial rule. It was the first time Berlin has formally responded to the class-action suit launched by the Herero and Nama people last year over the tens of thousands killed in the 1904-1908 massacres. Berlin’s position "is that the complaint is inadmissable because of the principle of state immunity", foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Adebahr told reporters, a day after a New York judge held a 10-minute hearing in the case. "In accordance with US law it was necessary to formally convey this to the court. We did this through a lawyer," Adebahr said. US District Judge Laura Taylor Swain agreed to consider Germany’s request, but set no date for ruling on it. The next hearing in the case has been set for May 3. Germany has acknowledged that atrocities occurred at the hands of German colon...
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