Documented Cases of Suffocation by Chlorine Gas
The conflict in Syria has revealed horrific violations, most of which were perpetrated by Syrian regime forces. The Syrian regime forces used conventional and heavy weapons against civilians in addition to chemical weapons. Such chemical weapons are banned according to the (Chemical Weapons Convention). The Syrian regime forces used Sarin gas in August of 2013, the attack targeted Al-Gouta Region in Damascus suburb and took the lives of 1400 civilians most of them are women and children. DCHRS complied a report about the attack in September 2014. Subsequently the Syrian regime ratified ChemicalWeapons Convention (CWC) on Oct 14, 2013 after a pressure from the international community. Many reports confirmed the involvement of the Syrian government in using Sarin gas against civilians, but it is most unfortunate that the international community failed to account and tri the Assad regime for perpetrating such crimes.
As the Syrian government began transferring chemical materials out of Syria to be destroyed, they failed to meet several deadlines of delivering the chemical weapons and the deadly arsenal out of Syria. However, in the past two months, activists and eyewitnesses reported the use of poisonous gas, believed to be chlorine gas, in four different provinces. The missiles that carried chlorine gas were deployed via airstrikes, and only the Syrian regime owns warplanes and helicopters to strike such missiles and bombs. Therefore having such capabilities prove the involvement of the Syrian regime in using chlorine gas as weapon. The Chemical Weapons Convention prohibits the use of any Chemical substance with intent to kill, and that includes the use of chlorine gas against civilians in Syria. Not only that violates the Chemical Weapons Convention and the international law, but further evidence showed that the Syrian government failed to list chlorine gas as a weapon within its arsenal.
In the months of March and April of 2014, the Damascus Center for Human Rights Studies documented 12 cases of using chlorine gas in the province of Damascus, Damascus suburb province, Hama province, and Idlib province. Summary of each documented case can be listed as follows:
Damascus Province:
– March 3rd & 4th, 2014, Jouber Neighberhood in the city of Damascus.
Damascus suburb Province:
– March 3, 2014, city of Adra, located north-east of Damascus (this is the fifth attack against the city of Adra with chemical weapons since the regime began using them against civilians).
– March 29, 2014, the city of Harasta, located east of Damascus, few victims were killed and 25 were injured.
– April 16 & 17, 2014 in the city of Harasta, located east of Damascus
– April 22, 2014, Daraya city, located south of Damascus.
Hama Province:
April 11, 12, & 16, 2014, the city of Kaferzita, north east of the city of Hama.
April 28 2014, the city of Kasir Ibn Wardan, located East of Hama city, attack resulted in 40 injuries.
Idlib Province:
– April 21, 2014, Ma’arat al-Nouman, located south of Idlib, attack resulted in 50 injuries.
– April 30, 2014, al-Tamanaa town, located south of Idlib.
Based on the previous findings, the Damascus Center for Human Rights Studies condemns in all terms the use of any chemical or biological weapons against civilians and considers the documented attacks as clear evidence of breaching international conventions and agreements. DCHRS calls and demands the international community, the united nation security council, and the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons to act and to respond the violations perpetrated in Syria.
DCHRS demands protecting civilians according to the laws approved by the U.N in 2005. In addition since DCHRS is a member of the International Coalition for the Responsibility to Protect (ICRtoP), DCHRS appeals to the international community to practically enforce the “Responsibility to Protect”. Furthermore DCHRS calls all the international medical and humanitarian organizations to provide support, medical assistance, and relief to ease the suffering of the Syrian people inside Syria and abroad. Finally DCHRS demands to prosecute the perpetrators of war crimes and crimes against humanity and to bring them to justice.
The following map shows the locations where the chlorin gas attacks took place:
Damascus Center for Human Rights Studies (DCHRS)
11-5-2014
For more information, please contact
Dr. Radwan Ziadeh, Executive director of the Damascus Center for Human Rights Studies.
Phone (571) 205-3590
(571) 205-3590
Email : radwan.ziadeh@gmail.com
Mr. Mojahed Ghadban, Communication Officer.
Telephone (479) 799-8115(479) 799-8115
Email: info@dchrs.org
DCHRS is an independent, non-governmental organization, established in 2005, located in the Syrian capital of Damascus. Its mission is to foster a spirit of support and respect for the values and standards of human rights in Syria. As such, DCHRS recognizes and adheres to all pertinent international human rights agreements and declarations issued by the UN.
DCHRS is a member of the following international networks:
- International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH)
- Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Network (EMHRN)
- NGO Coalition for the international Criminal Court
- International Coalition for the Responsibility to Protect (ICRtoP)
- International Coalition of Sites of Conscience (ICSC)
DCHRS worked on a variety of documentation projects. Such projects included daily casualty reports, massacre reports, and other human rights violations reports. Also DCHRS has been working on advocacy and lobbying in different human rights institutions in order to educate and acknowledge about the deteriorating human rights situation in Syria.. After the launch of the Syrian revolution, the center increased its activities through working, communicating, and coordinating with many members and activists. Thus the center began documenting daily violations committed by the Syrian regime forces that can be classified as crimes against humanities and war crimes. Such violations included: extrajudicial killings, massacres, arbitrary detentions, enforced disappearances, rape, torture in prisons. DCHRS opened local offices in Syria in order to document, collect, and observe human rights violations on the ground. DCHRS submitted those reports to many international and regional human rights organizations and communicated with the Report of the independent international commission of inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic on Syria.