Image source: Syrian Civil Defense website
On April 4, Syrians remember the tragic events of seven years ago, when the Syrian regime attacked the town of Khan Sheikhoun in the Idlib countryside in northwestern Syria with chemical weapons.
Approximately 91 civilians were killed, including 32 children, and at least 520 others were injured from the city of Khan Sheikhoun, using sarin gas. The use of sarin was confirmed by the OPCW’s Fact-Finding Mission in a report released at the end of June of the same year.
A UN report published on October 26, 2017, confirmed that the Syrian regime was responsible for the chemical attack in Khan Sheikhoun, despite the regime and its ally Russia denying their involvement and claiming the incident was “fabricated.”
Over the past seven years, there have been continuous calls for accountability for those responsible for the crime and atrocities committed against defenseless civilians. Some calls have sought justice for the victims of the massacre, while others have advocated for the application of Chapter VII of the UN Charter and referring the case to the International Criminal Court.
The regime continued its aerial and ground bombardments on Khan Sheikhoun until it captured the town in August 2019, with Russian and Iranian support, forcing its residents into displacement camps in northern Syria.
Despite the displacement of the city’s residents and the regime’s control over Khan Sheikhoun, the locals still annually commemorate the tragic incident and await justice and accountability for those responsible for the massacre.
On the seventh anniversary of the Khan Sheikhoun massacre, The Chemical Violations Documentation Center of Syria (CVDCS) reiterates the necessity of holding the perpetrators accountable, especially given that the Syrian regime is implicated in committing this crime, according to the findings of the Joint Investigative Mechanism tasked with identifying those involved.
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