Archive: syria
31st January 2020
Last October a mysterious whistleblower surfaced in Brussels complaining of irregularities in the OPCW's investigation of a suspected chemical attack in Douma, Syria.
"Alex" – as the whistleblower asked to be called – claimed that in an effort to shape the investigation towards a "pre-ordained"… Read more
21st January 2020
On Monday, Russia stepped up its campaign against identifying the perpetrators of chemical attacks in Syria with a specially-convened meeting at the UN. Though held under the auspices of the Security Council, it was what is known as an "Arria" meeting – a discussion that's not treated as formal… Read more
18th January 2020
Banned chemical weapons have been used repeatedly during the Syrian conflict and in most cases, if not quite all of them, the Assad regime is the obvious suspect. By its own admission the regime had stockpiles of chemical weapons, and almost all the reported attacks struck rebel-held areas.… Read more
2nd January 2020
Many of the recent claims about "irregularities" in the OPCW's investigation of a suspected chemical attack in Syria revolve around an employee called Ian Henderson. His exact role has been a matter of dispute but now leaked documents give a clearer picture.
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In a report last… Read more
23rd December 2019
Recently-leaked documents disprove claims by a whistleblower that the OPCW doctored a draft report of its investigation into a suspected chemical attack in Syria. They also cast doubt on claims that the views of staff were systematically ignored. They do, however, confirm a dispute… Read more
15th December 2019
A document released by WikiLeaks on Saturday shows that two key allegations reportedly made by the OPCW whistleblower are untrue.
The whistleblower, known as "Alex", first surfaced at a closed meeting in Brussels two months ago. He claims there were "irregularities" in the OPCW's investigation of a… Read more
11th December 2019
Last October a whistleblower emerged from inside the OPCW alleging "irregularities" in its investigation of a suspected chemical weapons attack in the Syrian city of Douma.
The whistleblower was said to have supporting evidence in the form of text messages, emails and "suppressed" draft reports but… Read more
15th July 2019
A new team to identify the perpetrators of chemical attacks in Syria is now "fully operational", the head of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) announced last week. However, the creation of the Investigation and Identification Team (IIT) has already caused a rift within… Read more
13th June 2019
After a lengthy silence the head of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons has revealed some interesting new details about a controversial internal document that surfaced recently on the internet.
The document in question was an “engineering assessment” relating to the OPCW’s… Read more
29th May 2019
The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons has now published a response to Russian and Syrian criticisms of the investigative work done by its Fact-Finding Mission (FFM).
On 1 March, the FFM issued a report which found “reasonable grounds” for believing a toxic chemical had been used… Read more
ARAB ART ONLINE: Susan Hefuna: Al Sabr Gamil (Patience is Beautiful) 2007. Ink stained on wood 140 x 170 cm. More information | Click to enlarge
