Press release
Syrian Opposition Coalition
Department of Media and Communications
April 4, 2021
As we mark the fourth anniversary of the sarin attack that the Assad regime forces launched against civilians in the town of Khan Sheikhoun, we remind the UN Security Council and all international parties that the OPCW-UN Joint Investigative Mechanism has already proved the Assad regime’s responsibility for the attack. The Assad regime is yet to be punished while it continues to carry out more massacres.
We call upon the international community to assume its humanitarian, legal, political and historical responsibilities with regards to the war crimes, crimes against humanity and crimes of using chemical weapons in Syria. We also call for enforcing Article 21 of UN Resolution 2118 with regard to taking practical measures against the Assad regime under Chapter VII of the UN Charter.
As we mark the anniversary of this heinous crime, we reiterate the calls for referring Syria to the International Criminal Court as a political and humanitarian duty and a historical responsibility.
We also call on Arab and international media organizations and human rights activists to commemorate this massacre and demand accountability for the perpetrators as well as to exert pressure on all international and regional parties seeking or hoping to rehabilitate the Assad regime.
International justice for Khan Sheikhoun crime will inevitably be achieved as the current international inaction cannot continue. The Assad regime and its backers will not be able to erase their record of killings, bombings, massacres, the use of chemical weapons, or the memory of the Syrian people. Shame will forever haunt whoever seeks to disrupt the course of justice or dare to ensure impunity for criminals.
