[JURIST] The German Federal Court of Justice [official website] ruled [press release, in German] Thursday that because the country was not directly involved in the 1999 NATO bombings that killed 10 Serbs [CNN report] and injured 30, it is not obligated to compensate victims. The 35 Serbs who brought the case against Germany [JURIST news archive], a member of NATO [official website], however, argued that the country could have used its veto power to prevent the air strikes [BBC backgrounder].

The attack, on May 30, 1999, was part of NATO's campaign to drive Serb forces out of Kosovo [JURIST news archive]. The court also ruled that German law allows for compensation between states, but not for compensation between states and individuals. Reuters has more.