Navaly church bombing
Displaced Tamil civilians killed while sheltering around a church.
- When
- 9 July 1995
- Where
- Navaly, Jaffna peninsula, Sri Lanka
Displaced Tamil civilians killed while sheltering around a church.
Background
Flight from a military offensive
When the Sri Lankan military launched Operation Leap Forward, civilians sought refuge in religious buildings and other places considered safer than their homes. The Church of Saints Peter and Paul at Navaly became one such shelter.[1]
What happened
- 9 July 1995
The shelter was bombed
Sri Lankan aircraft bombed the church area. Those sheltering there included families who had already fled the fighting. The attack killed and injured civilians in a location being used for refuge, not merely people living beside a battlefield.[1]
Impact & evidence
Contemporary reporting and later totals
Human Rights Watch reported more than 100 deaths, including at least 13 infants, in its contemporary account. Later commemorative accounts commonly give 147 killed. People had sought refuge at the church and nearby temple after fleeing attacks elsewhere; the bombing destroyed the protection they believed those sites offered.[2]
Aftermath & legacy
Civilian protection was the central issue
Human Rights Watch placed the bombing within a wider appeal against attacks on noncombatants and warned both the government and the LTTE of their obligations. The case concerns the protection of displaced people and places of refuge, alongside the enduring bereavement of the affected families.[2]
Sources & image credits (2)
Tamil Guardian; photographer not identified · Copyright retained by the rights holder Image source ↗
