Syrians Commemorate the Largest Chemical Attack Committed by the Assad Regime [Hashtag]

Syrian activists, and human rights organization commemorated on Saturday, August 22, 2021, the eighth anniversary of the “chemical massacre” committed by the Syrian regime in Ghouta of Damascus, which claimed the lives of about 1,144 civilians, through their interaction on social media under several hashtags, most notably: #DoNotSuffocateTruth, #Ghouta, #ChemicalAssad.

In order to recall the massacre that occurred on that night in 2013, which has not been witnessed by the world since World War II, and to demand the international community to achieve justice for the victims and to hold the Assad regime accountable for its crimes against civilians.

Activists explained that the Assad regime committed its most heinous chemical crimes against the people of Ghouta, when it decided to take revenge on their voices shouting for freedom by suffocating them. It is Taking advantage of the leniency of the international community with its crimes, despite crossing all red lines.

In the face of all that many massacres that are no longer hidden from anyone, Syrians around the world are waiting for real steps to be taken to hold Bashar al-Assad and his regime accountable for their crimes that will remain a disgrace to humanity for centuries, according to Syrian activists.

Largest Chemical Attack

The Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR), published a report on August 20, 2021, in which it said that: “The attack of the Syrian regime with chemical weapons against the people of Ghouta of Damascus in 2013 is the largest chemical weapons attack in the world after the adoption of the Chemical Weapons Convention, which shocked humanity and civilization.”

It said that “on August 21, 2013, the people of Ghouta of Damascus countryside woke up to the internationally prohibited toxic gas sarin, which led to the death of about 1,144 people asphyxiated, including 99 children and 194 women, and 5,935 people were diagnosed with respiratory symptoms and causes of suffocation, according to the SNHR.

The SNHR’s report recorded 217 chemical attacks by the Assad regime in Syria since the first documented use of chemical weapons on December 23, 2012, until August 20, 2021, which caused the deaths of 1,510 people and injured 11,080 others.

Finally, the SNHR called on the United Nations General Assembly to work to stop crimes against humanity, referral to the International Criminal Court to hold accountable those involved in the use of chemical weapons against Syrian citizens, following the failure of the UN Security Council for ten years in that task.

 

For its part, the “Syrian Campaign” human rights organization, reviewed the details of the chemical massacre in Ghouta of Damascus. 

It described it as one of the worst and most well-documented attacks. It accused the Syrian regime and Russia of concealing the fact that chemical weapons were used, and of intimidating witnesses and their families.

While the “Ghiras Al-Nahda” humanitarian organization, broadcast a video clip in several languages ​​on YouTube. It drew attention to the importance of oxygen in life, and referred to the horrific massacre in Ghouta of Damascus in 2013, and how the Syrian regime killed thousands of civilians silently through sarin gas.

 

 

Protests and Condemns

On Saturday, August 21, 2021, Syrians in the cities of forced displacement and in the countries of asylum, commemorate the eighth anniversary of the tragedy of Ghouta of Damascus. 

They are Demanding accountability for the perpetrators of this chemical attack and other perpetrators of crimes in Syria.

Where the Idlib governorate in northwestern Syria witnessed several protests stops to condemn the barbaric Assad forces attack on Ghouta of Damascus 8 years ago, and to remind the world of the horrific chemical atrocities committed by the Assad regime.

Several European capitals also witnessed protest stops on the occasion of the eighth anniversary of the largest chemical attack launched by Bashar al-Assad's regime on the Syrian people in the last 10 years. The participants raised banners bearing phrases such as: “Bashar al-Assad is a dictator,” and “Justice has not been achieved for 8 years.”

 

In turn, the Syrian Opposition Coalition (SOC), published a statement saying that: “On this day in 2013, the Assad regime committed the massacre of the century, using sarin gas against Syrian civilians in Eastern Ghouta.”

The statement also called on the active states in the Security Council to exert direct pressure to stop crime and hold the criminals accountable, support the political transition in accordance with the Geneva Communique, and UN Security Council Resolutions 2118 and 2254.

https://twitter.com/SyrCoalition/status/1429045548288516097

For its part, the “White Helmets” organization, said in a tweet included the hashtag #DoNotSuffocateTruth: “Eight years ago this day, people were sleeping and never woke up. 1,400 people suffocated to death, most of them children and women in Eastern Ghouta. The chemical massacre was carried out by the regime.”

 

The “Syrian Revolution Network”, also confirmed that the Assad regime carried out on August 21, 2013 chemical attacks against civilians in Eastern Ghouta.

It added that subsequently, the people endured years of siege, starvation, constant attacks, mass destruction and eventually forced eviction by the Assad regime, Russia and Iran forces.

 

 

Western Solidarity

For its part, the US State Department said, with the anniversary of the chemical massacre, and through an official statement shared by its spokesman, Ned Price, on his Twitter account: “There must be accountability for the Assad regime’s use of chemical weapons. The United States strongly supports efforts to ensure accountability for the numerous other atrocities the regime has committed against the Syrian people, many of which rise to the level of war crimes and crimes against humanity”.

Canadian Executive Coordinator for Syria, Gregory Galligan, tweeted and described the Assad regime's use of chemical weapons against its own people as a despicable act. 

He confirmed that “his country supports the work of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) and Syrians to hold the regime accountable for chemical weapons use.”

 

The French academic researcher, Nicolas Tenzer, also interacted with the anniversary of the chemical massacre in the Damascus countryside. 

He said: “August 21, 2013, the day Western leaders, mostly Barack Obama, decided to abandon their eminent responsibilities and historical consciousness, and allowed the crimes against humanity of the Assad regime to continue until today.”

 

The “Syrian Emergency Task Force” (SETF), a non-profit organization, published on its Twitter account a video clip containing the names of more than 1,100 victims of the 2013 chemical weapons attack carried out by the Assad regime on Ghouta.

 

The “Syria Notes” website shared a tweet via Twitter containing pictures showing the head of the Syrian regime, Bashar al-Assad, and a number of senior leadership officials involved in chemical weapons use in Syria.