The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) Fact-Finding Mission (FFM) in Syria issued an annex to its report on the Daraya incident involving alleged chemical attacks. The annex indicated that after further research and interviews, the mission was unable to alter its previous conclusions.
The annex to report S/1318/2015/Rev.1/Add.1, published on February 29, 2016, did not provide new information about the February 15, 2015 incident in Daraya, located in the Damascus countryside. Earlier outcomes suggested that victims in Daraya may have been exposed to sarin gas or a sarin-like substance.
However, the mission could not confirm the timeline of exposure or verify the chain of custody for blood samples drawn from the victims before the mission sealed them.
The annex noted that the mission conducted a subsequent visit to Damascus from January 26 to 31, 2016, at the request of the Syrian government. The purpose of the visit was to conduct additional interviews and analyze new data provided by the government to review the previous conclusions related to the Daraya incident.
During the visit, testimonies were gathered from three victims at Youssef Al-Azma Hospital in Damascus, the Studies Center, and the Scientific Research Institute in Barzeh. The annex concluded with a statement that the fact-finding team would review and analyze any further information or evidence provided by the Syrian government regarding the Daraya incident.
Previous Report (S/1318/2015/Rev.1)
The OPCW had issued an earlier report on December 17, 2015 (S/1318/2015/Rev.1), mandating the FFM to investigate six alleged chemical weapons attacks, most of which occurred in significant locations in the Damascus governorate and its surrounding areas, including Daraya. The Syrian government had requested the OPCW to investigate multiple areas in Syria, citing the alleged use of chlorine as a weapon.
The report on the Daraya incident, which occurred on February 15, 2015, described a military confrontation between Syrian regime forces and opposition fighters.
The report noted that all those interviewed had suffered injuries from various weapons, but it was not possible to determine the exact device responsible for the chemical release.
Additionally, the report highlighted discrepancies between the documents provided by the Syrian government and the interviews conducted with eyewitnesses (soldiers admitted to the hospital).
The Syrian government supplied the fact-finding mission with information, including blood samples from individuals affected by the incident. While these samples helped clarify that the victims may have been exposed to sarin or a sarin-like substance, the investigation could not confirm the exact date of exposure or verify the chain of custody from the time the blood samples were drawn to when they were sealed by the mission.
chemical_attack chemical_weapons FFM opcw syria
