OPCW Unfavorably Blames Assad Of Chemical Warfare

Syrian regime is not willing to take onus for the kind of atrocities they are meting on their civilian population including children.

In a recent revelation by the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), it has been confirmed that indeed, Assad has been found guilty of a war crime and it has been condemned by Donald Trump, Emmanuel Macron and then PM of Britain Theresa May. 

However, what is more alarming is that OPCW has shadowed important findings from the report after the chemical weapon attack at Douma. According to Wikileaks, there have been internal disagreements within the OPCW about how facts were misrepresented in a redacted version of a report on an (alleged) chemical attack in Douma, Syria in April 2018.

OPCW represents 193 member states around the world and works to keep a hawk’s eye on the use of chemical weapons across the globe.

According to OPCW reports, multiple source findings were made to confirm barrel bombs had been used to transport chemical weapons to the town of Douma where many people including children were exposed to chemical weapons.  

The OPCW report was published in March 2019 and said that testimony, environmental and biomedical samples and toxicological and ballistic analyses provided “reasonable grounds” that “the use of a toxic chemical had taken place” in Douma which contained “reactive chlorine”.

The report was published in newspapers widely. But the findings by Ian Henderson who had inspected the sites in Douma were omitted. According to his findings, reasons for deaths were inconclusive and could not be blamed on exposure to reactive chlorine. He had also said, that two chlorine cylinders found at site, were looking as if they had been physically placed and could not have led to the deaths of the Syrian civilians.

It seems that OPCW has been instrumental in focusing on pining Assad under political pressure. The allegations were spoken about widely, and seemed to have justified the attacks by Britain, France and the US on Syrian regime military facilities, much before the report was released.