The French Criminal Court begins an investigation into Assad regime’s use of chemical weapons

The Director of the Chemical Violations Documentation Center of Syria, Nidal Sheikhani, said that Paris court invited him to attend an investigation session before the investigation department into war crimes and genocides concerning Assad regime shelling of Eastern Ghouta with chemical weapons in August 2013.

Sheikhani affirmed that the French Criminal Court began investigation into the case, pointing out that opening the investigation is necessary to achieve justice, and that Ghouta massacre is not the only one of its kind.

The reason for opening the investigation for this case is due to the presence of victims whom their relatives hold a French nationality, according to Sheikhani.

Sheikhani pointed out that the Chemical Violations Documentation Center of Syria submitted to the investigation department a comprehensive report on studies center to develop the chemical program in Syria.

Sheikhani made it clear that he was invited because he was the coordinator of the international teams’ entry into Eastern and Western Ghouta, visiting the targeted sites, collecting samples, and interviewing witnesses.

Sheikhani stated that the center provided a statement that manufacturing these weapons is linked to the Assad regime’s defence ministry and targeting the places by these weapons were at the order of the Assad regime.

The Assad regime carried out in 2013 the largest chemical weapons attack on citizens in Eastern and Western Ghouta of Damascus. Assad regime remains unpunished.

According to a report issued by the Syrian Network for Human Rights, 1,144 people were killed on that day by suffocation, including 1,119 civilians which included, 99 children, 194 women, and 25 armed opposition fighters, and 5,935 people suffered respiratory symptoms and cases of suffocation.