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1994 Saydet al-Najat Church bombing

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The Saydet al-Najat Church bombing (or Our Lady of Deliverance Church bombing, Arabic: تفجير كنيسة سيدة النجاة) happened on February 27, 1994, when a bomb exploded in a Maronite Catholic church in the Zouk Mikael[1] town of Lebanon[2] during a Sunday Mass.[3] It resulted in the killing of 11 people[4] and injuring 54,[2] and the jailing of the Christian Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea,[4] who in turn accused the Syrian-Lebanese security apparatus for the bombing,[5] which happened during the Syrian occupation of Lebanon.[6]

Bombing

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On February 27, 1994, at 9:15 am,[7] a bomb exploded under the church altar while worshippers were receiving communion[3] from Father Antoine Sfeir.[7] Five other explosives were found in the church, where more than 200 people were present.[3] C4 explosives and two 81 mm mortar rounds detonated.[7] 10 people were killed and 54 were injured.[2] One of the injured subsequently died, bringing the number of fatalities to eleven.[8]

Aftermath and trial

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On 19 March, the offices of the Lebanese Forces (LF) were raided and six people arrested, including Fouad Malik, the LF secretary general, and three members of the LF intelligence apparatus, including a woman. Also detained were a man and a woman from the Guardians of the Cedars.[9]

Subsequently, 150 LF members were detained and the LF was banned on 23 March.[10] On 21 April, Samir Geagea was arrested. By that time, eleven LF members remained in custody. The investigation into the church bombing had been expanded to examine the murder of political rival Dany Chamoun and his family.[11] Geagea and four others were formally indicted for the Church bombing on 13 June. Commentators reported that the case against Geagea was not strong, being based on hearsay and circumstantial evidence. The case also depended on a single witness, Girgis Khuri, and was weakened by the absence of two key players: Tony Obeid, LF head of operations, and Ghassan Touma, LF security chief, who were in hiding abroad. Touma was believed to be in the United States. Three days later, Geagea and twelve others were indicted for the murder of Dany Chamoun, his wife, and two children.[12] The trial opened on 19 November, with Geagea employing more than a hundred lawyers, only five of whom were allowed into the court at one time.[13] The following year, on 24 June 1995, Geagea was found guilty of the murder of Chamoun and his family and sentenced to death, commuted to life in prison with hard labour. Two other accused present in court were given to shorter terms and ten LF members were sentenced to life imprisonment in absentia. The case had been based entirely on circumstantial evidence and was condemned by Amnesty International as being seriously flawed. The trial over the church bombing was postponed in disarray after Girgis Khuri, the prosecutions main witness, withdrew his testimony.[14]

Geagea, who was convicted of the bombing and spent 11 years in solitary confinement,[4] accused the Syrian-Lebanese security system of carrying out the incident with the goal of dissolving the Lebanese Forces and arresting him.[5]

On July 13, 1996, Public Prosecutor Adnan Addoum requested the death penalty for Geagea and others, including Antonios Elias, Jerjes Khoury, Rushdi Raad, and Jean Shahine, and hard labor for life for Fouad Malek and Paul and Rafik Al-Fahl.[7]

Geagea was released in 2005,[4][15] and was found innocent of the bombing.[16][1]

References

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  1. ^ a b "تفجير كنيسة سيدة النجاة في كتاب أسود". الأخبار (in Arabic). Retrieved 2021-07-28.
  2. ^ a b c lebanons02 (2014-10-27). "A bomb exploded at the Sayidat al-Najat church killing 10 people and wounding 54 in Jounieh". Civil Society Knowledge Centre. Retrieved 2021-07-28.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  3. ^ a b c "Blast in Lebanon Church Kills 9 and Injures 60". The New York Times. 1994-02-28. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-07-28.
  4. ^ a b c d GEAGEA, SAMIR (2016-02-28). "Dr Geagea's speech in the 22nd anniversary of the explosion of Our Lady of Deliverance church in…". Medium. Retrieved 2021-07-28.
  5. ^ a b Agency, National News. "Geagea accuses Syrian-Lebanese security apparatus of 'Our Lady of Deliverance" Church bombing". National News Agency. Retrieved 2021-07-28.
  6. ^ "Syrian Troops Leave Lebanon After 29-Year Occupation". The New York Times. 2005-04-26. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-07-28.
  7. ^ a b c d "February - Bombing of the Sayyidat Al-Najat Church". monthlymagazine.com. Retrieved 2021-07-28.
  8. ^ Middle East International No 473, 15 April 1994, Publishers Lord Mayhew, Dennis Walters MP; Jim Muir pp.8-9
  9. ^ Middle East International No 472, 1 April 1994; Godfrey Jansen pp.9-10
  10. ^ Middle East International No 474, 29 April 1994; Gerald Butt pp.11-12
  11. ^ Middle East International No 475, 13 May 1994; April chronology p.15
  12. ^ Middle East International No 479, 9 July 1994; Jim Muir pp.12-13
  13. ^ Middle East International No 489, 2 December 1994; Giles Trendle p.11 also source for Touma being in USA
  14. ^ Middle East International No 504, 7 July 1995; Giles Trendle p.13
  15. ^ "جعجع في ذكرى صدور حكم البراءة في تفجير كنيسة سيدة النجاة: تجلت حصانة السماء بحكم البراءة". Elnashra News (in Arabic). Retrieved 2021-07-28.
  16. ^ "Geagea wants release to effect reconciliation". dailystar.com.lb. Archived from the original on 2021-07-28. Retrieved 2021-07-28.

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