Image source: Anadolu Agency
The director of the Chemical Violations Documentation Center of Syria, Nidal Shikhani, confirmed to Aleppo Today TV that witnesses to the chemical attack on Yarmouk Camp were subjected to pressure by the Assad regime, forcing them to retract their statements. This prevented the international investigation from reaching a decisive conclusion.
The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) had previously concluded in a report published on Monday that “there are no reasonable grounds to accuse the Assad regime or ISIS” of using chemical weapons in the 2017 attack on the camp near Damascus. The report also did not confirm the use of chemical agents at all.
Shikhani stated on Thursday that the Fact-Finding Mission (FFM) did not obtain sufficient evidence regarding the Yarmouk Camp incident. Despite witness accounts suggesting the use of a gas bomb containing toxic materials near the Japanese Hospital axis, the investigation was hindered.
The OPCW report highlighted that the investigation was unsuccessful because many witnesses had “died or disappeared,” and those initially willing to testify eventually refused to provide their accounts to the mission.
Details of Witness Withdrawal
Shikhani elaborated, saying, “The Chemical Violations Documentation Center in Syria previously submitted lists of witnesses’ names to the Fact-Finding Mission. While most initially agreed to provide testimony, after interviewing the first group and proceeding to the second, one witness informed us that they had been threatened with their homes being burned and their families being killed if they cooperated with the investigators.”
This intimidation occurred despite the witnesses residing outside regime-controlled areas. The witness subsequently requested their name be removed from the lists and demanded that their data be destroyed to avoid any possibility of retribution. Sheikhani confirmed that at least two witnesses had been threatened by pro-Assad militias in Yarmouk Camp to deter them from testifying.
He added that the situation is highly complex due to the presence of numerous factions and groups in the area, as well as the ongoing siege by Assad’s forces.
OPCW Findings
The OPCW noted that the Assad regime had reported the use of chemical agents in November 2017, accusing ISIS of deploying them against the “Aknaf Bayt al-Maqdis” brigades, allegedly causing multiple cases of suffocation.
However, after conducting its investigation, the OPCW stated, “The Fact-Finding Mission concluded that there are no reasonable grounds to determine that toxic chemicals were used as a weapon in the reported incident.” This conclusion was based on an analysis of chemical samples, interviews with witnesses, photographic evidence, and documents.
The organisation further clarified, “No listed chemical substances, precursors, degradation products, riot control agents, chlorinated organic chemicals, or reactive chlorine-containing compounds were detected.”
Historical Context
It is noteworthy that the OPCW previously held ISIS responsible for a chemical attack on the town of Marea in Aleppo countryside in 2015, as stated in a report published last Thursday.
