Press release
Syrian Opposition Coalition
Department of Media and Communications
June 6, 2021
The announcement by the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) of the Assad regime’s responsibility for the use of chemical weapons on 17 occasions in its war on the Syrian people represents an important development. The progress of the OPCW’s investigations, despite the obstacles and continued obstruction by the Assad regime and Russia, have only revealed more violations and crimes of the use of weapons chemical.
The international community and international actors are required to ensure accountability for the war crimes being committed in Syria, including the use of chemical weapons, and to ensure that criminals do not escape punishment.
Attempts by the Assad regime and its Russian ally to question the legitimacy and credibility of the international organization and its investigation teams are futile and groundless. They amount to trying to convert chemical weapons into a conventional one, which carries serious risks to international peace.
It is about time that the international community defend its institutions, resolutions, investigation committees and their results, and confront attempts to turn its institutions into useless structures.
We recall the important decision recently taken by the OPCW to suspend the Assad regime’s rights and privileges in the global watchdog, including the right to vote and apply for membership. We also bring to mind the reports that OPCW issued last year and which confirmed the Assad regime’s responsibility for chemical attacks on civilians on several occasions.
The UN Security Council is required to assume its responsibilities under UN Resolution 2118 and in accordance with the reports and results of OPCW’s investigations. Immediate measures need to be taken under Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter through an international move that forces the Assad regime to fully comply with UN resolutions.
