Brussels, Jan. 28 (SANA) The European Union affirmed that the deposed regime’s use of chemical weapons against the Syrian people constitutes a violation of international law and may amount to the gravest international crimes, war crimes, and crimes against humanity.
In a statement, EU spokesperson Anwar al Anouni said, “On January 22, the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) issued a report holding the ousted regime responsible for a chemical attack in Kafr Zita, Hama countryside, on October 1, 2016. The report found reasonable grounds to conclude that a military helicopter dropped a cylinder containing chlorine gas on Wadi al Anz in Kafr Zita, injuring 35 identified individuals and affecting dozens more.”
The statement welcomed the Syrian government’s positive role in facilitating OPCW investigations, noting that the professional report by the organization’s investigative team contributes to ongoing efforts to end impunity for the use of chemical weapons.
It further noted that the EU has imposed restrictive measures on officials and scientists of the deposed regime for their role in developing and using chemical weapons.
The EU reaffirmed its commitment to supporting the OPCW politically and financially to ensure full accountability for those responsible for these horrific crimes, whether in Syria or elsewhere.
The Chemical Weapons Convention entered into force in Syria on October 14, 2013, about a month after Damascus agreed to destroy its chemical arsenal. This followed international condemnation of the ousted regime’s chemical attack on Eastern Ghouta in August of the same year, in which sarin gas killed more than 1,500 people, most of them women and children.
Although the OPCW announced in January 2016 the destruction of most of the deposed regime’s declared chemical weapons, doubts persisted over its continued production. The ousted regime used such weapons multiple times, most notably in the Douma attack of April 2018 that killed dozens. The OPCW repeatedly reported that the deposed regime imported materials for production and obstructed inspection missions at numerous sites.
On April 21, 2021, OPCW member states decided to suspend Syria’s rights within the organization, including its voting privileges, after the OPCW confirmed the defunct regime’s use of chemical weapons in attacks on Latamneh, Hama province, in 2017 and in Saraqib, Idleb province, in February 2018.
On November 20, 2025, Syria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs reactivated its permanent mission to the OPCW. On February 8, President Ahmad al Sharaa and Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al Shaibani welcomed an OPCW delegation in Damascus led by Director General Fernando González, who stated that his visit marked a new beginning after 11 years of obstacles imposed by the ousted regime.
MHD
