Black July anniversary: the legacy of the Tamil massacre in Sri Lanka

The killings catapulted the country in civil war, but the government has yet to face up to its violent past

Black July Sri Lanka
(Image credit: Sanka Vidanagama/Getty)

Today marks the anniversary of the beginning Black July, a massacre that served as the catalyst for the most violent period in Sri Lanka's history.

Thousands of Tamils were killed by members of the Sinhalese majority in 1983, propelling the country into a civil war which lasted 26 years and left more than 100,000 people dead.

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