The Varvarin bridge bombing was an aerial bombing executed by
NATO
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...
as part of the
Operation Allied Force
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) carried out an aerial bombing campaign against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia during the Kosovo War. The air strikes lasted from 24 March 1999 to 10 June 1999. The bombings continued until an a ...
. Ten people were killed and 17 were severely injured, all of them civilians.
Events
On 30 May 1999, as part of the
NATO bombing of Yugoslavia
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) carried out an aerial bombing campaign against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia during the Kosovo War. The air strikes lasted from 24 March 1999 to 10 June 1999. The bombings continued until an a ...
, the
NATO
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...
bombed a bridge crossing the
Velika Morava
The Great Morava ( sr, Велика Морава, Velika Morava, ) is the final section of the Morava ( sr-Cyrl, Морава), a major river system in Serbia.
Etymology
According to Predrag Komatina from the Institute for Byzantine Studies ...
river in
Varvarin
Varvarin ( sr-cyr, Варварин, ) is a town and municipality located in the Rasina District of central Serbia. Population of the town is 2,133, and population of the municipality is 17,772.
History
The town is notable as the site of an 1810 b ...
. It was Sunday and the streets were full of people going to the market or coming back from the
Orthodox church
Orthodox Church may refer to:
* Eastern Orthodox Church
* Oriental Orthodox Churches
* Orthodox Presbyterian Church
* Orthodox Presbyterian Church of New Zealand
* State church of the Roman Empire
* True Orthodox church
See also
* Orthodox (di ...
service for the Holy Trinity that had just finished. Soon after noon, two low-flying
NATO
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...
F-16 warplanes fired the first laser-guided bomb strike against the bridge, killing three people and severely injuring five more. A few minutes after the first strike, as people rushed to the bridge to help the injured, two more bombs were fired. In total, 10 people were killed and 17 were severely injured.
[
The 10 fatal victims were Sanja Milenković (15), Milan Savić (28), Vojkan Stanković (30), Zoran Marinković (33), Stojan Ristić (52), Ratibor Simonović (24), Ružica Simonović (55), Milivoje Ćirić (66), Dragoslav Terzić (67) and Tola Apostolović (74).][
The nationality of the pilots is unknown and the military purpose of the operation remains unclear.][
]
Reactions
NATO spokesperson Jamie Shea
Jamie Patrick Shea (born 11 September 1953 in London) is a retired member of NATO. He was Deputy Assistant Secretary General for Emerging Security Challenges at NATO Headquarters in Brussels, Belgium until his retirement in late September 2018.
...
declared that the bridge was a military target. Locals said that the bridge was too narrow for tanks and it was attacked on a clear day instead of during the night, accusing NATO of deliberately killing civilians.[
]
Legal actions
In 2003, families of the victims sued the German government in Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
.[ The claimants argued that Germany gave assistance to NATO air operations and claimed compensations. German courts dismissed the right of the families to seek compensations in Germany. First in the regional court of Bonn in 2003, then in the higher regional court of Cologne in 2005 and the ]Federal Court of Justice
The Federal Court of Justice (german: Bundesgerichtshof, BGH) is the highest court in the system of ordinary jurisdiction (''ordentliche Gerichtsbarkeit'') in Germany, founded in 1950. It has its seat in Karlsruhe with two panels being situat ...
in 2006. The families filed a complaint to the Federal Constitutional Court
The Federal Constitutional Court (german: link=no, Bundesverfassungsgericht ; abbreviated: ) is the supreme constitutional court for the Federal Republic of Germany, established by the constitution or Basic Law () of Germany. Since its in ...
in 2007 seeking to reverse previous court decisions. On 13 August 2013, Federal Constitutional Court
The Federal Constitutional Court (german: link=no, Bundesverfassungsgericht ; abbreviated: ) is the supreme constitutional court for the Federal Republic of Germany, established by the constitution or Basic Law () of Germany. Since its in ...
dismissed the claims again, arguing that victims of military operations abroad did not have the right for individual compensations.
See also
* Civilian casualties during Operation Allied Force
Many human rights groups criticised civilian casualties resulting from military actions of NATO forces in Operation Allied Force. Both Serbs and Albanians were killed in 90 Human Rights Watch-confirmed incidents in which civilians died as a resu ...
* Grdelica train bombing
The Grdelica train bombing occurred on 12 April 1999, when two missiles fired by US aircraft F-15E Strike Eagle hit a passenger train while it was passing across a railway bridge over the Južna Morava river in the Grdelica gorge, some south ...
*Lužane bus bombing
The Lužane bus bombing occurred on May 1, 1999 during the NATO bombing of Yugoslavia, when NATO missiles targeting a bridge in Kosovo hit a bus. The bus was hit on the Lužane north of Pristina. On that day, 46 civilians of Serb and Albanian ...
*Koriša bombing
On 15 May 1999, NATO aircraft bombed the village of Koriša, Kosovo during the NATO bombing of Yugoslavia. At least 87 civilians were killed and 60 wounded. NATO officials affirmed before and after the bombing that the bombing was on a legitim ...
* NATO bombing of Albanian refugees near Gjakova
References
*
{{coord missing, Serbia
1999 in Serbia
May 1999 events in Europe
Aerial operations and battles of the Kosovo War
Civilian casualties in the Kosovo War
NATO airstrikes
Incidents involving NATO
United States war crimes