Damascus, May 27 (SANA) The deposed regime’s chemical weapons file has returned to the spotlight following reports of newly discovered chemical materials and munitions in several areas of the country, raising renewed questions about the credibility of the ousted Syrian regime’s claim that it dismantled its chemical arsenal in 2013.
Although the deposed regime announced its accession to the Chemical Weapons Convention after the 2013 chemical attack on Eastern Ghouta, subsequent attacks documented by rights organizations and international investigative bodies continued to fuel doubts over whether the ousted Assad regime had fully ended its chemical weapons program.
Those concerns were reinforced by a recent announcement from Syria’s mission to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), which said authorities had discovered aerial and ground-to-ground munitions similar to those used in attacks carried out by the deposed regime in 2013 and 2017.
The mission also reported finding materials linked to sarin production, along with mixing and storage equipment and additional substances that remain under analysis.
Hiding parts of Chemical Arsenal
Mahmoud al-Aswad, executive director of Lawyers and Doctors for Human Rights (LDHR), said the discoveries provided “clear evidence” that the ousted regime had not been serious about fulfilling its obligations to dismantle its chemical arsenal.
Speaking to SANA, al-Aswad said the discovery of sarin-related materials more than a decade later raised questions about whether parts of the program had been concealed from international inspectors.
“The 2013 declaration on ending the chemical program was a political measure,” he said, adding that the repeated discoveries indicated the existence of undeclared materials that had not been disclosed to the international community.
2013 Deal Left Lingering Doubts
The international agreement on Syria’s chemical weapons program came after the August 2013 attack on Eastern Ghouta, which killed and injured thousands of civilians and triggered widespread international outrage. Under mounting pressure, the deposed regime agreed to join the Chemical Weapons Convention and surrender its declared stockpile.
Despite the subsequent announcement that Syria’s chemical arsenal had been dismantled, international reports continued to point to gaps in the former regime’s official declarations and unanswered questions surrounding certain sites and materials.
Attacks after Declared Dismantlement
Mahmoud al-Aswad, executive director of Lawyers and Doctors for Human Rights (LDHR), said that despite the announcement ending the chemical weapons program, reports documenting the use of toxic agents by the ousted regime continued throughout the years of the Syrian Revolution.
International organizations and U.N. investigative mechanisms documented several attacks involving sarin and chlorine gas in different parts of Syria, including:
International investigations later attributed responsibility for the attacks to the ousted regime’s air force, based on sample analysis, flight-path data, survivor testimonies, aerial imagery and the type of munitions used.
Field Evidence and Legal Accountability
Al-Aswad said the recently discovered munitions carry significant value for documentation and accountability efforts, noting that some match weapons previously used in chemical attacks, strengthening links between field evidence and victims’ injuries.
He stressed that preserving the materials according to international standards is essential to ensure they can be used before international courts.
Al-Aswad added that the Syrian state’s announcement of the discoveries reflects a willingness to cooperate with the international community and establish facts related to the use of chemical weapons during the war.
Human Impact and Pursuit of Justice
For survivors of chemical attacks in Ghouta, Latamneh and Khan Sheikhoun, the latest discoveries are not merely a technical or political matter, but a painful reminder of attacks that killed hundreds of people, including children who suffocated inside homes, shelters and field hospitals.
Al-Aswad said Syrian organizations, medical personnel and civil defense teams developed advanced mechanisms during the years of Syrian Revolution to respond to chemical attacks. These included training medical and emergency teams to deal with chemical injuries and documenting cases according to professional standards that would allow the evidence to be used in judicial investigations and international accountability efforts.
Discovered Chemical Munitions Boosts Accountability Efforts
Fadel Abdul Ghany, director of the Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR), said the recent discovery of sarin-related chemical munitions and materials provided further evidence that the ousted Syrian regime had not fully complied with its obligations to dismantle its chemical weapons program.
Speaking to SANA, Abdul Ghany said what happened in 2013 was not merely an incomplete declaration, but rather a “systematic and calculated concealment” of part of the deposed regime’s chemical arsenal.
He said the failure to comply with Article III of the Chemical Weapons Convention constituted a “serious violation” by the ousted regime and indicated a deliberate attempt to obstruct investigative mechanisms from the outset.
Abdul Ghany added that Article I of the convention prohibits the development, production, stockpiling and retention of chemical weapons “under any circumstances,” stressing that systematic concealment entails heightened international responsibility and cannot be excused through claims of “technical ambiguity” sometimes used by states responding to technical reports.
He said that under international legal principles governing state responsibility for internationally wrongful acts, proving direct harm to specific victims is not required for international responsibility to apply, as the violation itself is sufficient to trigger accountability mechanisms under Articles VIII and IX of the convention.
Reinforcing Ghouta and Latamneh Case Files
Regarding investigations into chemical attacks carried out by forces of the ousted regime, Abdul Ghany said the Joint Investigative Mechanism established under U.N. Security Council Resolution 2235 had also concluded that the deposed regime was responsible for the 2013 Ghouta attack.
However, he noted that Russia’s veto ended the mechanism’s mandate in 2017 before it could complete documentation of the chain of command linked to the attack.
Abdul Ghany said the Syrian Network for Human Rights had assisted international investigative teams in these cases and had been among the main sources providing data and witness testimony.
He added that the latest discoveries could strengthen the Ghouta and Latamneh case files, explaining that the newly uncovered documents, reportedly comprising thousands of pages, could help bridge evidentiary gaps between the existence of the chemical weapons program and operational authorization by the deposed regime to use such weapons, provided the materials are incorporated into a verified chain of custody and subjected to forensic analysis.
Possession and Use Under International Law
Abdul Ghany said the traditional distinction between possession and use faces a different legal logic in this case because the possession repeatedly denied by the ousted regime itself constitutes material evidence of continued intent and capability to use chemical weapons.
He explained that criminal prosecution requires three key elements: establishing a link to a specific official from the ousted regime, proving knowledge of or orders related to the use of chemical weapons, and meeting evidentiary standards concerning chain of custody for the discovered materials.
The latest developments have renewed questions over the extent of the dismantlement of Syria’s chemical weapons program and whether the recent discoveries could lead to the reopening of legal cases and international investigations related to chemical weapons use by the deposed regime.
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