Articles listed on this page are about the propaganda war relating to chemical attacks in Syria.
The articles are grouped according to specific topics:
- The 'propaganda professors'
- The Douma controversy
- The Mint Press Affair
- The Seymour Hersh controversies
A complete listing of articles about the chemical weapons issue can be found here.
Relevant official documents are listed here.
The 'propaganda professors'
The Syrian conflict's anti-propaganda propagandists
24 February 2018
Campaign dressed up as "rigorous academic analysis"
From Syria to Salisbury: Russia's propaganda game
15 March 2018
Here come the false flags again
Russia-friendly 'Syria propaganda' group names more supporters
6 March 2018
Group says it intends to bid for research funding
'Propaganda' professors switch focus from Syria to Britain and Russia
18 March 2018
Assad's defenders dispute nerve agent attack on Skripals in Britain
9/11 truther joins Syria 'propaganda research' group
19 March 2018
New York University professor Mark Crispin Miller is latest recruit
Leaked document revives controversy over Syria chemical attacks
16 May 2019
Internal memo conflicts with OPCW's official report on Douma
OPCW and the leaked Douma document: what we know so far
21 May 2019
Arguments hinge on technical analysis
Leaked OPCW document: where’s the conspiracy?
25 May 2019
Source says leaked document came too close to attributing responsibility
Russia issues new challenge to OPCW over Douma report
28 May 2019
Critique of Fact-Finding Mission's report echoes content of leaked document
OPCW chief speaks about the Douma leaked document
13 June 2019
New details emerge
Syria 'truther' heads fundraising campaign to sue British Labour Party
14 August 2019
Bristol University professor David Miller – a member of the "propaganda professors" group which defends the Assad regime against accusations of chemical weapons use in Syria and disputes Russia's use of a nerve agent against the Skripals in Britain – is behind a new campaign to sue the British Labour Party.
The Mint Press affair
Chemical attacks and a mystery reporter
18 September 2013
Report on Mint Press website claims Saudi Arabia provided rebels with chemical weapons
Syria 'rebel chemicals' story gets weirder
21 September 2013
Questions about authorship of Mint Press article
Syria 'rebel chemicals' mystery deepens
21 September 2013
Despite by-line, AP correspondent denies writing article
Yahya Ababneh exposed
22 September 2013
Author of Mint Press article turns out to be Jordanian student
Manufacturing credibility
25 September 2013
Reflections on the Mint Press 'rebel chemicals' affair
Lavrov cites mystery reporter Ababneh
26 September 2013
Mint Press article is first item in Russia's 'evidence'
Ababneh trail leads to Iran
2 October 2013
Mystery journalist re-surfaces
The Seymour Hersh controversies
Investigating chemical weapons in Syria
10 December 2013
Upstart challenges veteran reporter Seymour Hersh
Syria chemical attacks: a question of sources
11 December 2013
What Seymour Hersh missed
Syria, Seymour Hersh and the Sarin denialists
1 July 2017
Journalist's denial of sarin use is contradicted by lab tests
Syria and Sarin: who was Hersh's anonymous source?
4 July 2017
Hersh's source confused fertiliser with pesticide
Seymour Hersh wins award for discredited article about Syria
7 September 2017
Flawed article about Syria gets a prize
Syria and sarin: Seymour Hersh pulls out of award ceremony
21 September 2017
No reason given for journalist's non-attendance
Seymour Hersh accepts 'truth-telling' award, but not for articles on Syria
25 September 2017
Journalist collects award after citation is amended
Seymour Hersh on Syria: "There's no such thing as a chlorine bomb"
27 June 2018
Reporter gives bizarre TV interview
The Douma controversy
OPCW finds possible use of chlorine, no evidence of sarin, in Douma
7 July 2018
Fact-Finding Mission issues preliminary report
Why airstrikes in Syria won't solve the chemical weapons problem
29 August 2018
Using the law is slow, but likely to be more productive in the long run
Syria conflict: unanswered questions about the Douma 'chemical attack'
13 September 2018
UN commission suggests chlorine was dropped by helicopter
Peter Hitchens and an imaginary battle over chemical weapons reports
19 September 2018
"If official reports don't justify punitive attacks on Syria, new reports then appear, which do provide justification"
OPCW's Douma investigation points to gas cylinders dropped from the air
2 March 2019
Fact-Finding Mission's final report on Douma
How a yellow cylinder became a propaganda weapon in Syria
17 March 2019
PCW finds no evidence to support claims of a rebel "chemical weapons lab"
Leaked document revives controversy over Syria chemical attacks
16 May 2019
Internal memo conflicts with OPCW's official report on Douma
OPCW and the leaked Douma document: what we know so far
21 May 2019
Arguments hinge on technical analysis
Leaked OPCW document: where’s the conspiracy?
25 May 2019
Source says leaked document came too close to attributing responsibility
Syria refuses visa for chemical weapons investigation chief
25 May 2019
Regime says it does not recognise OPCW's newly-created Investigation and Identification Team
Russia issues new challenge to OPCW over Douma report
28 May 2019
Critique of Fact-Finding Mission's report echoes content of leaked document
OPCW replies to Russian and Syrian critiques of its Douma report
29 May 2019
Organisation doesn't normally engage in public debate about its investigations
OPCW chief speaks about the Douma leaked document
13 June 2019
New details emerge
Syria, Russia and the politics of chemical weapons
12 July 2019
Obstruction over investigations in Syria threatens to jeopardise the OPCW's effectiveness
Political pressures expected as new team starts investigating chemical attacks in Syria
15 July 2019
Investigation and Identification Team has initial list of nine cases
US blames Assad regime for chemical attack, promises $4.5m for OPCW investigations
27 September 2019
The United States has concluded that the Assad regime carried out a chemical attack in north-western Syria last May, secretary of state Mike Pompeo announced on Thursday. He also announced that the US will provide $4.5 million to the OPCW "to help its investigations of continued chemical weapons use in Syria".
Former OPCW chief denounces official investigation of alleged chemical attack in Douma
24 October 2019
A former head of the chemical weapons watchdog OPCW has accused the organisation of "irregular behaviour" during its investigation of an alleged chemical attack in Syria last year, according to reports circulating on the internet.
Whistleblower versus watchdog: the political machinations over chemical weapons in Syria
21 November 2019
An anonymous whistleblower who recently emerged from inside the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons has spoken of "huge internal arguments" over one of its investigations in Syria.
The leaked OPCW email: what does it show?
25 November 2019
A leaked email discusses two unpublished drafts of a report on the suspected chemical attack in Douma which are said to have caused "huge internal arguments".
The Douma whistleblower and the long wait for leaked documents
11 December 2019
Eight weeks ago a whistleblower claimed to have documents showing "irregularities" in the OPCW's investigation of a suspected chemical attack in Syria. Since then, only one document has surfaced. Where are the others?
Revealed: OPCW whistleblower made false claims about 'suppressed' Douma report
15 December 2019
A document released by WikiLeaks on Saturday shows that two key allegations reportedly made by the OPCW whistleblower are untrue.
How a reporter who made mistakes became a hero on the internet
17 December 2019
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 him ...
Leaked OPCW documents: what they really show about the Douma investigation
23 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 involving one staff member who was eventually suspended and escorted out of the office.
The Douma chemical weapons investigation and the role of Ian Henderson
2 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.
Douma investigation: a look at the leaked OPCW minutes
17 January 2020
On 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.
False flags and fakery: the battle of narratives in Syria
18 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. Nevertheless, President Assad insists his regime has never used such weapons.
Russia steps up its campaign to discredit OPCW investigations
21 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.
Former British special forces chief discusses Douma affair on Russian TV
27 January 2020
A 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.
The OPCW whistleblowing affair and the 'inimitable' Dr Whelan
30 January 2020
The mystery author of the OPCW toxicology document is identified as Dr Brendan Whelan.
In search of 'Alex', the elusive OPCW whistleblower
31 January 2020
Whistleblower "Alex" turns out to be Brendan Whelan
Douma victims were murdered in a gas chamber, professor claims
3 February 2020
Rebels in Syria used a gas chamber to murder dozens of civilian captives, a university professor has claimed. The claim is not supported by any evidence.
Chemical attacks in Syria: new group joins campaign to discredit OPCW
1 April 2021
A newly-formed group has joined the campaign to discredit investigations of chemical weapons in Syria and has recruited a former high-ranking UN official to its cause.
The professor and the 'Russian agent': my complaint to Edinburgh University
29 March 2021
It emerged last week that a university professor who spreads conspiracy theories about chemical weapons in Syria has been passing information to someone who he mistakenly believed was working for Russian intelligence.
