Syrian government forces carried out three chemical attacks on a rebel-held village in 2017, according to a new investigation by the OPCW. Based on the available evidence, that is the only conclusion that can "reasonably be reached", it said in a 82-page report published on Wednesday:
"At...
Blog archive: Syria
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9th April 2020
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3rd February 2020Rebels in Syria used a gas chamber to murder dozens of civilian captives, a university professor has claimed. The claim – which is not supported by any evidence – formed part of a Powerpoint presentation that Edinburgh University professor Paul McKeigue showed to a meeting in London last month...
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31st January 2020Last 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"...
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30th January 2020Among the leaked documents in the OPCW whistleblower affair is an account of a meeting between four of the organisation's staff and a group of toxicologists. The toxicologists were shown photos and videos of alleged victims from what was suspected to be a chlorine gas attack in Douma, Syria....
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27th January 2020A former Director of Special Forces in the British army appeared on Russia's RT channel on Sunday, talking about the OPCW's investigation of a suspected chemical attack in Douma, Syria. Retired Major General John Holmes is a board member of the British Syrian Society along with President...
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21st January 2020On 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...
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18th January 2020Banned 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....
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17th January 2020On 6 June 2018, four staff from the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons met a group of toxicologists in connection with the investigation of a suspected chlorine attack in Douma, Syria. As part of the investigation the OPCW initially proposed exhuming bodies from mass graves...
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2nd January 2020Many 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. * * * In a report last March the...
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23rd December 2019Recently-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 involving one...
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17th December 2019Ten days ago, Newsweek reporter Tareq Haddad announced on Twitter that he had resigned from his job after editors rejected his "newsworthy revelations" for "no valid reason". Almost instantly – and without waiting to find out more – Twitter users and "alternative" websites rushed to support...
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15th December 2019A 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...
