Syrian Coalition: Assad regime is Still Able to Import and Use Chemical Weapons

Hisham Marwa, member of the Legal Committee, questions the Assad regime’s claims that it had handed over all its stockpiles of chemical weapons, pointing out that the danger of the regime’s use of these weapons still exists, as it can import the ingredients necessary to produce chemical weapons through various means as exactly when it used the poisonous chlorine gas manufactured in China and importer by Iranian companies.” The Assad regime’s use of chemical weapons constitutes war crimes that must be referred to the international courts, but unfortunately this has not happened yet. The Syrian Coalition has submitted a full file on Assad’s crimes to the Board of the International Criminal Court (ICC). The file was prepared by Haitham al-Maleh, head of the Legal Committee, and we seek to file lawsuits against the Assad regime to refer it to the (ICC) through its prosecutor after we failed to refer these crimes through the UN Security Council due to the Russian and Chinese vetoes.” Marwa also said that “over the past year the Syrian Coalition has done all what it could to clarify the chemical weapon massacre committed by the Assad regime to the international community in cooperation with Syrian human rights organizations. The findings of the commissions of inquiry has implicated the Assad regime in the use of chemical weapons against Syrian civilians. Despite the American threat of launching strikes against the Assad regime in response to the chemical weapon attack, the Russian diplomacy succeeded in averting the Assad regime the strikes through reaching a deal whereby the Assad regime give up its chemical weapons stockpiles to the international community for destruction. Meanwhile, the UN Security Council passed new resolution that gives the right for the international community to use force against the Assad regime if it uses chemical weapons again.” Marwa went on: “We call on the international community to adopt a firm position to protect civilians in Syria from the repeated use of chemical weapons, and also to hold to account criminals implicated in the use of chemical weapons. The UN commission of inquiry submitted conclusive evidence in its report which can be relied upon to file a lawsuit against the Assad regime. The failure of the international community to take these actions and to provide the required support for the FSA would lead to disastrous consequences on the whole region.” (Source: Syrian Coalition)