The Syrian Regime Has Used Chemical Weapons 184 Times Since Ratifying the Chemical Weapons Convention
BY: AP / Peter Dejong
Today, Tuesday, July 7, 2020, the state parties to the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapons ‘CWC’ (the states parties are all but three of the world’s countries) will meet with the aim of discussing the report prepared by the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons’ (OPCW) Investigation and Identification Team, which conclusively found the Syrian regime to be unquestionably responsible for using chemical weapons three times against Latamena city in the suburbs of Hama governorate in March 2017, two of which involved the use of sarin gas.
The Syrian regime ratified the CWC in September 2013 after being threatened with the use of military force against it in the context of its use of chemical weapons against the Damascus Suburbs governorate on August 21, 2013. By ratifying the CWC, Syria became a state party prohibited from using, manufacturing or stockpiling chemical weapons, making it mandatory for the regime to destroy its stockpile of chemical weapons; instead, however, the regime has repeatedly used CWs since ratifying the Convention 184 times in all to date, as documented by the Syrian Network for Human Rights’ (SNHR) database, including the three attacks that took place against Latamena city.