The Syrian Lawyers Association warned of preparations by the Assad regime and Russia for the launch a major military offensive against the liberated areas and the use of chemical weapons against civilians.
In a memorandum addressed to the international community, the Association stressed that the Russian and Assad regime recent warnings of an imminent ‘false flag’ operation by the Syrian opposition in Idlib province must not go unnoticed. It said that such claims were a prelude to a chemical weapons attack on the liberated areas as it called for holding accountable perpetrators of war crimes and the launch of a serious investigation into these crimes.
The recent Russian claims about the intention of the Syrian opposition to launch a chemical attack in Idlib is tantamount to an explicit threat of committing massacres against residents of the province, the Association added. It pointed out that such claims are also part of the Assad regime and Russia’s psychological warfare against Syrian civilians.
The Association underscored that the Assad regime is primarily responsible for the use of chemical weapons in many occasions in Syria. It cited confirmation by human rights organizations that the Assad regime used chemical weapons in more than 300 occasions in around 166 locations across Syria.
“Moscow has staunchly defended the Assad regime against accountability for the war crimes it is committing against Syrian civilians, encouraging it to commit more crimes against humanity using internationally prohibited weapons.”
The local council in the town of Kafarzeita in northern rural Hama warned that the Assad regime and Russia were seeking to displace the local population by accusing the Civil Defense Corps of preparing to launch a chemical weapon attack on the town.
The council refuted claims being made by the Assad regime and Russia about the Civil Defense Corps, stressing that these claims were aimed at discrediting the volunteer group by accusing it of preparing to launch a ‘false flag’ operation.’ “The Assad regime was involved in many crimes after using chemical weapons against Syrian civilians in different parts of the country,” the council said in a statement on Sunday. (Source: Syrian Coalition’s Media Department)
