Political violence erupts on the world stage, as we revisit the horrifying initial reports of the Srebrenica massacre, a deadly gunfight inside the US Capitol – 23 years before the 2021 attack – and a thwarted military coup in Turkey. Global headlines also reveal moments of intense public shock, from the fatal police shooting of Jean Charles de Menezes in London to the notorious assassination of an anti-Mafia judge in Sicily. Explore all this and more through this week’s stories.
26 July 1988 – Jail for student who refuses military service in South Africa
David Bruce, a 25-year-old white South African student, receives a record-breaking six-year prison sentence for refusing compulsory military service in the army that protects and enforces apartheid. Denied political prisoner status and incarcerated alongside common criminals, his principled stand drew widespread attention before his sentence was eventually halved to three years.
20 July 1992 – Second anti-Mafia judge killed by bomb
A massive car bomb claims the life of Judge Paolo Borsellino, Sicily’s top anti-Mafia investigator, less than two months after a similar explosive attack killed his collaborator Giovanni Falcone. The twin murders triggered unprecedented public outrage and a fierce state crackdown on the Sicilian Mafia, ultimately leading to the capture of Mafia boss Salvatore ‘Totò’ Riina just months later.
26 July 1994 – Israel and Jordan end 46-year conflict
King Hussein of Jordan and Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin sign a historic declaration at the White House, officially ending a 46-year state of war and clearing the path for a comprehensive peace agreement. The milestone paved the way for the formal Israel-Jordan peace treaty later that year.
21 July 1995 – Mass slaughter in Srebrenica
Amid blocked access for journalists and aid workers, grim reports leak from the region detailing a "knee-deep in blood" massacre of Muslim prisoners taken from Srebrenica. These initial dispatches shed light on what would soon be recognized as the worst atrocity in Europe since the Second World War, resulting in the genocide of over 8,000 Bosniak men and boys.
25 July 1998 – Gunfight inside US Congress
Gunfire erupts inside the US Capitol building as 41-year-old Russell Weston opens fire, killing two police officers and wounding a tourist before being shot and apprehended. Weston, who was already known to the Secret Service for previously threatening the President, was later diagnosed with severe paranoid schizophrenia and indefinitely committed to a federal psychiatric facility without ever standing trial.
26 July 2000 – 113 killed as Concorde crashes in flames
Moments after departing Paris, an Air France Concorde crashes into a suburban hotel in a massive fireball, killing all 109 people on board and four on the ground. The catastrophic accident, triggered by runway debris that ignited a fatal fuel leak, led British Airways and Air France to immediately ground their supersonic fleets, marking the beginning of the end for the Concorde era.
25 July 2005 – Fatal police shooting of Jean Charles de Menezes
Brazilian national Jean Charles de Menezes is shot dead at point-blank range on a London Tube carriage by anti-terrorism officers who misidentify him as a suicide bomber. Occurring in a climate of intense fear just after the 7/7 terrorist attacks, the fatal error prompted fierce public criticism, though no individual officers were ever criminally prosecuted for the 27-year-old's death.
20 July 2016 – Turkey on red alert for second coup attempt
Following a thwarted military coup that left over 250 people dead, the Turkish government remains on high alert for a second uprising, with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan still sheltering in Istanbul. As fears for his safety temporarily prevent a return to the capital, Erdogan declares a state of emergency and initiates a heavy-handed crackdown on suspected political opponents.
