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Palace of Justice in Trieste – Site of disputed legal appropriation
The case of Trieste is not just unresolved: it is a documented act of plunder.
Italy, in the absence of any legal title of sovereignty, has acted in the Free Territory of Trieste as a predatory power: it has imposed citizenships, taxes, divestments, military occupations, and the sale of public assets.
This is not a matter of interpretation.
It is a systematic violation of international law.
Annex XVII of the Treaty of Peace: a still valid legal weapon
The Treaty of Peace signed on 10 February 1947 and in force since 15 September 1947 does not merely define postwar borders and relations.
It includes Annex XVII, which provides for the review of decisions made by Italian Prize Courts, if in violation of international law.
This is a forgotten clause, but still in force, requiring Italy to accept recommendations from the Allied and Associated Powers and to review illegitimate judgments.
But the underlying principle is even broader:
no State may seize the assets or rights of another without a multilateral legal basis.
From administration to predation
Italy never received a mandate of sovereignty over the Free Territory.
In 1954 it received a temporary and limited civil administration mandate over Zone A, with the obligation to respect the international legal status of the FTT.
Yet it behaved as if the territory were its own.
This conduct clearly falls within the historical category of Prize Law:
the law of war governing unlawful appropriation, also in maritime and colonial contexts.
Concrete cases of plunder
Citizenship
One of the most serious violations concerns the right to the citizenship of the Free Territory of Trieste, guaranteed by Annex VI of the 1947 Treaty of Peace.
By unilaterally imposing Italian citizenship on FTT citizens, the Italian State denied them a distinct legal identity, erasing the very foundation of the international legal subjectivity recognized by the Treaty.
This is an invisible but radical act of plunder:
it does not only affect material assets, but the legal condition, dignity, and direct link of citizens with their legitimate legal order.
EZIT – Agency for the Industrial Development of the Free Territory of Trieste
Established in 1953 by the Allied Military Government to support the industrial economy of the FTT.
In 2019–2020, it was liquidated by the Italian tax authorities on grounds of alleged bankruptcy, without any international authorization.
The assets were not returned to the Treasury of the FTT — as required by the founding order (Winterton) — but were dispersed.
Palace of Justice
In 1969, the Italian Finance Department submitted a “parceling plan” to allocate part of the building to the Friuli Venezia Giulia Region.
In 1970, the Region registered the third floor based on a simple “delivery report”, not on any legal title.
A clandestine bureaucratic annexation, disguised as administrative procedure.
No unilateral revocation is legitimate
Annex XVII clearly establishes that no privilege, right or exemption recognized by the Treaty or by Allied authorities may be revoked unilaterally by Italy.
Any Italian claim of sovereignty over the FTT is legally null and void, unless supported by a new multilateral decision.
The new initiative: legal review and formal complaint
TRIEST NGO has formally requested the following to international legal entities:
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the activation of the review clause provided by Annex XVII of the Treaty of Peace,
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the systematic evaluation of predatory acts committed by the Italian State in the Free Territory of Trieste,
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the recognition of material, personal and legal damage suffered by the citizens of the FTT, including the forced erasure of their legitimate citizenship.
These are not symbolic requests or political interpretations.
They are the application of valid and binding legal norms.
For further legal background on Annex XVII and Prize Law, see the following summary and download link:
📘 Executive Summary
Legal Note: The Relevance of Prize Court Principles to the Free Territory of Trieste
(TRIEST NGO, June 2025)
This legal note explains the continuing applicability of Annex XVII of the 1947 Treaty of Peace with Italy, which provides a mechanism for the review of unlawful acts committed by Italian Prize Courts after WWII. Although originally designed to address wartime seizures of goods and ships, the same legal logic applies to Italy’s appropriation of rights and assets belonging to the Free Territory of Trieste (FTT) — including citizenship, public property, and sovereign functions.
Key treaty provisions cited:
Article 21: ends Italian sovereignty and establishes the FTT;
Articles 75–83: guarantee restitution of property and legal remedies;
Article 40: ends all Italian claims to special regimes.
The Prize Court principle is thus a powerful and still valid tool for international legal restitution, applicable to the case of Trieste.
The United Nations, as guarantor of the Treaty, is called upon to address this ongoing violation.
📎 Download the full legal note here → https://www.triest-ngo.org/wp-content/uploads/prize-court-annex.pdf
– Alessandro Gombač –